Burn
by betweenraindrops
Summary: What if Starfire had become Slade's apprentice instead? Slade has a plan to take down the Titans from within, and Starfire is the key to his success. Will she be able to find a way to save her friends, or will they all fall victim to his mysterious plot? Loosely follows original storyline. Rated M so I don't have to worry, but it will be T mostly. Robin/Starfire, Beast Boy/Raven.
1. The Beginning

_**Author's Note: **Hello all! This is the first chapter of my latest fanfic endeavor, and first fanfic here on . It's probably gonna be a long one. You've been warned! I will also periodically open up polls and such if I need some advice/inspiration, so be sure to read the author's notes so you can get your vote in there._

_This is opening in medias res in the episode "Apprentice", so if you haven't seen that episode or haven't watched the cartoon, I pity you, and you also will probably be a bit confused until the story gets going._

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**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

The Titans raced through the tunnel, following Starfire's sneezes. She was very grateful that she could be helpful, but did she ever feel awful.

"It can't be far now," Cyborg said, looking sideways at her slouching, sniffling form.

She shook her head and rubbed her nose, wincing at the horrible sound of nose fluid being sucked back up her nasal cavity. She chanced a sidelong glance at Robin running next to her, hoping he was not completely disgusted.

He did not appear to have noticed, thank X'hal.

She stopped to lean against the slimy, stone wall to her left as that familiar feeling creeped up her nose and into her forehead. "Ah- AH-"

"RAVEN!" Beast Boy yelped, pointing frantically as he leapt onto Cyborg's back.

"AH-CHOO!" she shrieked, feeling the cold, black energy surround her as the force of the sneeze rebounded back on her face.

The black haze faded from her vision and revealed her friend's fearful expressions and cowering positions. She flashed a shy smile, brushing her hair back down. "My apologies," she said softly, tugging self-consciously at a red strand.

The corner of Robin's mouth lifted slightly, and he looked as if he was about to say something when Cyborg's irritated yell pulled away his attention.

"Get offa me, ya little, green spider monkey!" he shouted, flinging Beast Boy off of his back and down into the murky water.

"Duuuuuude!" he whined, holding his arms above the water. "Gross!"

Starfire giggled lightly while Raven rolled her eyes and sighed. Robin reached a hand down to Beast Boy, and was halfway through pulling him up when a sound down the tunnel made him whip around. Beast Boy went splashing back into the water with a squeal as Robin lost his grip on his hand.

The other three Titans also turned toward the sound, a loud roar which appeared to be getting farther away.

"Titans, GO!" Robin shouted, pulling out his staff and charging forward.

Raven and Starfire took to the air, hands glowing with their respective energies. Cyborg pulled out his sonic cannon, with its signature start-up whine, as his heavy metal footsteps thudded along behind them.

"Hey, guys, wait up!" Starfire heard Beast Boy shout from behind them, the sound of his splashing footsteps disappearing, and she assumed he had changed into some form of flying creature.

As Starfire rounded the corner, she caught sight of a large, metal vessel rushing away from them on the surface of the water. She remembered Robin telling her about these things when she had seen one on the channel of discovery, but she could not recall the word he had used. It was, at the moment, unimportant because this contraption was not only shooting some form of red energy beams at them, but sitting inside was-

"The Chronoton _Detonator_!" Cyborg shouted, readying his sonic cannon.

"No!" snarled Robin, pushing the robotic arm down. "We don't know what will happen if you hit it!"

Cyborg growled with frustration, but retracted the cannon and took off running once again.

"Beast Boy," Robin shouted in that way he had that made it obvious it was a command, "Take Cyborg, try and pick off the driver".

The green Pterodactyl nodded and took off, scooping Cyborg up by the shoulders.

"Raven, see what you can do about those lasers."

She nodded, eyes glowing black as she shot off after the odd, flying pair.

Starfire lowered her flight so she was level with Robin's head as he continued running.

"Starfire?" He said with that same authority, but it was softened slightly by having the tonal quality of a question, as if she was being provided with a choice as opposed to an order.

She glanced down at him, eyebrows rising inquiringly.

"A hand?" He looked up at her with that impossibly bright smile, extending his left arm up toward her.

She grinned, moving behind him and sweeping him upward in their signature trapeze hold.

As they approached the vessel, dodging the beams still firing from the one gun Raven had not yet managed to disable, Cyborg hit the driver off the side and into the water. The splashing, metal contraption, however, did not stop.

"Why does it not halt?" she asked the boy below her.

"It must be on auto-pilot," he snapped angrily, which Starfire was getting used to not taking personally. "Get me down to that boat!"

Boat, that was the word! Thinking it not the right time to ask what this "auto-pilot" was, Starfire merely nodded and sped up.

Cyborg and Beast Boy got there ahead of them, landing deftly on the surface of the boat. Raven, having disabled the remaining gun, lowered herself down behind them as Cyborg made his way to the controls. Starfire was almost above the boat now, and she started to descend for her and Robin to land.

Suddenly, the wall to their left exploded, sending shards of brick flying into the tunnel toward them. Starfire quickly dodged them, shifting her hands closer to Robin's shoulders so she could pull him up and better control their flight.

"What the- WOAH!" Robin shouted as a huge, grey body came blasting through the wall, coating them both with dust.

"Cinderblock!" the boy yelled, trying to wriggle his right arm out of Starfire's grasp, no doubt to get something out of his utility belt.

Starfire tightened her grip on his wriggling arm, just enough to send a message.

She could feel his angry gaze on her face, but she did not dare look down. She dodged around falling debris, Cyborg's cannon blasts, and Raven's energy beams as she focused all her concentration on putting more distance between them and Cinderblock and getting to the boat. It probably still would not be a safe place to be, but it was much less vulnerable than flying through the air. Robin was only human, after all. And he was going to hate her for this.

"Starfire, what are you- AH!" he yelled in surprise as she flung him toward the boat. He flipped into a somersault just in time to land on his feet. She righted herself in the air, stopping as the boat shot further down the tunnel away from her.

She saw the ever-shrinking form of Robin running toward the back of the boat, his cape flaring out around him. "STARFIIIIIRE!" he screamed, his desperate cry reverberating off the walls, making her shudder with guilt.

"GO!" she called urgently, hearing Cinderblock's footsteps approaching from around the curve behind her. "I will deter him!" and she turned toward the sound, lighting her hands as she did so.

"NO!"

She whirled her head around, red hair struggling to keep up, just in time to see Robin leaping off the back of the boat.

"ROBIN!" She lunged forward, green glow flickering away as her hand outstretched toward the boy that was too far away for it to make any difference. Just as she was about to try anyway, a black band of energy appeared out of nowhere, wrapping around his body just before it hit the water.

"No, Raven, no! Let me GO! STARFIRE!" He struggled against the black bands as they pulled him back into the safety of the boat.

Tears stung the corners of her eyes as she watched. "I am sorry," she whispered as the boat disappeared around a corner, Robin's calls still echoing back to her, though she could no longer understand the words.

"GRAAAAAR!"

Starfire whipped around, green fire bursting back to life in her hands. Not quick enough, however, as a cold, hard hand slammed into her side. She rocketed into the wall, the force of the hit sending her crashing right through it. She landed heavy on the floor, rocks falling all around her. Looking up, she saw a particularly large chunk of wall on a collision course with her head. She shrieked, firing a starbolt. The rock exploded into stone confetti, pinging off the floor with small clicks.

A shadow stretched across the opening she had just created. Red eyes met her green ones, and her temper flared. Growling, she burst up toward the towering figure. She planted a purple-clad boot into the side of Cinderblock's head, sending him reeling back out into the tunnel. With a loud cry, she flew forward, glowing hands outstretched as she attempted to punch through his chest.

He fell back with a groan, falling through the opposite wall.

Not relenting for a moment, Starfire flew into the fresh opening after him, firing starbolt after starbolt into the cloud of dust his fall had created. She hovered in the air, awaiting an attack. As the dust cleared, however, it became clear the fight was over.

A motionless Cinderblock lay spread on the broken ground below her; eyes closed, his concrete body chipped and cracked. Cautiously, she flew lower to investigate. She could hear his ragged breathing, slow and even. She lowered herself even further, taking in all the damage he had sustained. If he was faking unconsciousness, he was exceptional at it, and Robin always said Cinderblock was not very smart.

She gingerly landed on the floor, a safe distance away from the villain's body. She let out a sigh, her heart rate slowing as the thrill of battle wore off. Sure of her safety, for the moment at least, her mind turned to her friends. She lifted off the ground again, intent to find and assist them, when a shrill beeping sound caught her attention. She whirled on the noise, hands blazing, expecting another form of attack.

Everything was still, the only other sounds being Cinderblock's grating breathing and the occasional drip of water. Starfire tilted her head in confusion, looking for the source of the beep. That was when she noticed a faint light permeating the cracks between Cinderblock's fingers. She swooped down, landing next to the creature's massive hand. Luckily, his hand was open enough that she could reach between the thick fingers and remove the culprit without so much as a brush.

Turning over the small, circular device in her hand, she surveyed the lighted screen. It appeared to be some sort of map, white lines twisting and crossing across the face. It was then Starfire noticed the emblem blinking in the center of the screen, and a small gasp escaped her lips. There, a beep announcing its every appearance, was an angular, black "S" centered in an orange circle.

"Slade," she growled, squeezing the device dangerously hard in her anger. She looked down at her closed hand, two conflicting impulses fighting for supremacy in her mind.

She walked to the opening in the wall, looking down the tunnel where her friends had disappeared, and then consulted the map, which suggested she go completely the opposite direction. She looked one way, then the other, uncertain. Yet another beep interrupted her musings, and she flicked her green eyes down to meet it, opening her fingers just enough to see that signature "S" staring up at her mockingly.

With a deep inhale, she raised her head, gazing down the tunnel to her left. "Be safe," she whispered, before resolutely turning right and walking into the darkness.


	2. Apprentice

_**Author's Note: **__Shout-out to the couple people that have reviewed already! They seriously warmed my heart guys, thanks._

_Just to reiterate, I'll post a new chapter every week, so keep checking and reviewing and such! They will likely get to be longer chapters as time goes on._

_Now a quick little fyi thing before we get started on Chapter 2! I will put a little blurb up here in the author's note every time a chapter relates directly to an episode, so make sure to read these so you'll have that heads-up. For this chapter, it's "Apprentice". Obviously._

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**Chapter 2: Apprentice**

Starfire consulted the device in her hand one last time, confirming she was in the correct spot. Staring at the wall in front of her, she took a deep breath before thrusting a fist into the stone.

The wall exploded in a swirl of dusty green, and Starfire flew through the opening, prepared for a fight. With a yelp, she dove to the side, avoiding the large chunk of metal that was swinging through the air. She looked up, trying to find the source, but whatever the pendulum was attached to was too high up for her to see, the metal simply fading away into the darkness. The room was full of clanging and hissing, mechanical sounds that seemed to surround her and not come from any particular direction. The reason for this became obvious as she surveyed the room.

It seemed to be some sort of cavern originally, but it had since been filled with a mess of massive pipes and gears spinning dangerously. Aside from the noises to be expected from the machinery, however, the room was quiet, the lack of reaction only unnerving her more.

Just as she began to proceed further into the room, she heard a sound that cut through the din. A low, threatening laugh echoed around the room, and she spun in the air, trying to locate the source.

"It's about time," the man said smugly. "I've been expecting you for awhile now. I was beginning to think Cinderblock was too much of a challenge."

Starfire was confused by his statement, but she pushed this from her mind and focused on locating the man. She could tell by his voice that, wherever he was, he was stationary. Weaving through the spinning, whirring apparatus, she surveyed the ground. As she came around a particularly large, cylindrical object, she saw a source of bright light below her, and quickly backed into the shadows to get a better look.

There was a massive television screen against the wall of the cave, several different sets of pictures moving at once, as if the screen were composed of several small screens instead. Gliding a little closer, the figures on the screen became clear, and her eyes widened with fear as she saw-

"Robin," she breathed, a hand rising to her mouth in surprise.

"Yes," the voice spoke again, making her start. "The Boy Wonder and company, trying to stop me."

Starfire looked around, scanning frantically for the man that sounded uncomfortably close. It was then that she noticed a shadow stretching in front of the television screen. Following the stripe, she spotted the dark, solid silhouette at its end. Her blood boiled, and she shot down to the ground with a growl. Landing hard in front of him, she glared into the sunken holes of his mask.

"They _will _stop you!" she snarled, raising a flaming fist in front of her. "You will not win this fight, Slade."

He leaned forward suddenly, causing her to jump back in surprise at his advance. Pulling herself together, she set her face back into a stony glare, pulling her fists up in front of her in a fighting position.

"But, my dear," he whispered menacingly, "I already have."

Even without seeing his mouth, she could tell he was smirking as he turned away from her to face the screens. She followed his gaze and saw several angles of her friends disabling the Chronoton Detonator.

"You have not!" she said triumphantly to the man's turned back. "They have found your detonator and disabled it."

"Oh, have they now?"

Her brow furrowed, and she was about to argue this obvious point, when a flash on the screen caught her attention.

"NO!" she cried, taking to the air and hovering in front of the screen, as if she could reach through it to save them.

A circular, metal device had emerged from the base of the boat and fired a red beam at each of her friend's in turn, sending them rocketing off the side of the boat. She waited, breathless, watching the surface of the water where they had disappeared. One by one, they spluttered to the surface, the knot in her chest loosening with every head of wet hair that emerged.

Suddenly, her friend's confused faces disappeared, being replaced by blackness. Looking down, however, she realized that the screen was not blank, but had simply changed. She was too close to be able to discern any meaning from the red and black images that were moving across the screen, so she flew backward to get a better view.

"What…?" She gazed across the screens, seeing each of her friend's names displayed in red letters above a diagram of a body, which was filled in with something red and shifting.

"Marvelous, isn't it?"

The voice from below made her jump. She had forgotten Slade was there, but her blood now returned to boiling.

"My laser has infected your friends," he explained with an almost cordial air, which would have infuriated her if she was not so frightened by his statement. "Billions of microscopic nanobots," he continued, the picture on the screen changing to illustrate his point.

Starfire saw tiny, metallic, "S"-branded spiders grabbing onto what looked like-

"As we speak, they are flowing through their bloodstream, latching onto their cells."

Her blood chilled at the almost palpable excitement in his voice as he taunted her.

"They could remain undetected for months, years even," he continued, and she could feel the bile rising up in her throat at the smile evident in his speech.

"Unless…" he trailed, and she knew she was expected to ask.

Her fists balled in green fury, she lowered herself to the floor, landing behind Slade so she could still see the screens behind him. The glint in his only visible eye was evident, even in the relative darkness of the cave.

"Unless what?" she snarled, hatred dripping off every syllable.

Slade took a step forward, but Starfire stood her ground this time, raising her hands to meet him. The green glow illuminated his mask, reflecting off his eager eye.

"Unless," he hissed, completely unphased by her act of aggression, "I use this." With the final word, he held up a small, silver, cylindrical tube with a red button on top.

"With a push of this button," he hovered his thumb over it for emphasis, "my nanobots will attack." As he continued, he took a small step closer with each new phrase. "Every nerve, every muscle, every blood vessel. They will be destroyed from the inside out." He swept a hand through the air between them for emphasis before taking one last, large step toward her. "They will die," he whispered, his cold glare inches from her face. "Slowly and painfully," he spat finally, close enough for her to feel the warm puff of his breath through the mask

She staggered back in horror, the energy enveloping her hands flickering with her panic.

He stood up straight then, snickering at her reaction before turning to the screens once again.

She stared at his dark back, eyes wide and stinging with tears of anger or fear, she could not be certain. Her friends! She had left them, and now they were- She started, a clear thought forming in the midst of her tortured, frenzied mind.

"Cinderblock…" she breathed, her eyebrows crunching together as she fought through the ache in her head. "He…he took me." She was stammering, hesitant words forming through the fog. "He pulled me away. Away from them. He… You…" she trailed off, blinking back confused, guilty tears.

"Oh, very good," Slade answered with slow, mocking applause, although the congratulatory tone sounded sincere. He turned back and stared down at her, suddenly so much more formidable than he had been mere minutes ago. "You really are so much smarter than Robin gives you credit for."

She blinked blearily, the world twisting in front of her, but the mention of Robin's name gave her the strength to still the shaking in her knees.

"It's true," Slade continued, moving forward to circle her with an eerie nonchalance. "I sent Cinderblock to attack you, to pull you away from the others. It was easy, really, you're all _so_ predictable."

She could hear the clicking of his boots on the stone as he moved behind her, the proximity making her hair stand on end.

"All I had to do was wait. Wait for you to separate, wait to get you alone. Of course," he added, stopping momentarily as he came around to the front of her, "Robin never leaves you alone, now does he?"

She glared at him, still somehow able to be embarrassed through all the confusion and fear.

He chuckled softly, clearly not the least bit intimidated. "I had accounted for that though, of course, and that's where I needed Cinderblock." He resumed his circling, crossing in front of her and passing around her right side. "You see, I assumed Robin would keep you with him for your usual handholding," he said condescendingly as her cheeks flushed, "but I knew you would ensure he was out of harm's way if things got ugly."

He was on her left now, so close she was sure he would hear her fearful heartbeat. Her mind was swirling with anger at being manipulated, and guilt at being so manipulatable.

"I will admit though, I was surprised Robin attempted to jump off the boat. I hadn't expected that. Then again," he said, coming to a sideways stop in front of her and turning his head slightly to face her, "teenage hormones are so difficult to predict."

Starfire's head cleared abruptly then, anger cutting through the fog.

"What do you want, Slade?" she asked sharply, standing up straight and igniting her hands.

"Ah, ah, ah," he scolded, waving the device in time with each staccato syllable. "Wouldn't want anyone getting hurt, now would we?"

She glared at him through glowing green eyes and let out a predatorily growl, but slowly lowered her hands.

"Good girl," he praised, and she fought to keep herself from physically ripping the audible smirk off his face.

"What-do-you-want?" she spat through gritted teeth, her voice dangerously even.

"What I want, child," he turned toward her, his arms locked behind him, "is you."

Starfire's mouth opened slightly to betray her, but she quickly set her face back to stoic as Slade continued.

"You see, I have a…project, of sorts. A project that cannot succeed without your particular set of skills." He spoke with the enthusiasm of a madman, his hands flying in frustrated movements. "You have the only thing I'm missing, the one piece that has yet to fall into place." He turned away from her then, and took a few strides toward the screens that still glowed with her friend's peril.

When he did not continue, Starfire prodded, "What would that be?"

He chuckled slightly before half turning his head back toward her, only his profile visible in the glow of the television. "You let me worry about that," he said; his voice so icy, it gave Starfire chills. "All you need to do," he continued, turning all the way around now and walking closer and closer with every word, "is exactly what I say. Without question, without fail, without fight!" He was shouting as he reached the end of speech, the cave echoing with the force of it. "If you do all that," he dropped to a whispered, leaning down so his eye was boring into hers from mere inches away, "your friends will be allowed to live."

Starfire's pulse, which had been racing just seconds ago, now skipped a beat. She could hardly breathe, staring into that cold, dark eye that held no remorse, no fear, no soul.

"Do we have a deal?" he hissed with sickening confidence, and she knew he was smiling from the spark that flared in his left eye.

Her mind was racing, her vision blurring as she forgot to blink. She searched furiously for a solution, an escape, any other option. She could feel tears stinging the corners of her eyes, but she bit them back, determined not to give Slade any more satisfaction. Her friends flashed through her mind. Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Robin. Writhing, bleeding, screaming…dying. _Robin…_

"We do," she deadpanned, determinedly holding his gaze. She saw his face wrinkle up as he smiled, and she pushed down the bile that threatened to overwhelm her again.

"Excellent," he affirmed, leaning away from her to stand up straight. "Now," he hit a button on his wristband and a light came on down a hallway to her right, "follow me." He turned and walked away, not seeing the few tears that leaked out as she made her way after him toward the illuminated room.

The room was a plain, concrete box with fluorescent lights, metal closets and shelves lining the walls. In the center of the room was a shiny, metal table upon which sat some sort of dark fabric.

"I do hope it fits," Slade said coyly, and she approached the table with mounting dread.

Once closer, she saw a black suit similar to Slade's stretched out across the surface. It was thick, like leather, with metal panels in places along the arms, abdomen, and legs. On the front, in the center of the chest, was Slade's insignia, and she winched at the sight.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he breathed lovingly, walking to the adjacent side of the table and placing a gloved hand on the sleeve of the uniform. "It contains thousands of sensors to monitor everything. Heart rate, blood pressure, muscle movements, endorphin levels," he listed, his eye widening with every new addition. "You won't be able to sneeze without me knowing about it," he bragged, and Starfire's chest tightened. "Of course," he continued, walking over to a set of drawers against the right wall, "you won't be wearing it all the time."

A relatively small amount of relief washed over Starfire, and she was grateful for at least one thing that was not getting worse about this whole ordeal.

"Most of the time," he added, pulling something out of the top drawer, "you'll be wearing this."

Starfire gasped as he turned. In his hands was an exact replica of the gem she wore on her chest plate. If she were not wearing the original now, she would never have known the difference.

"This," he explained, moving closer to her and holding the stone out for her to see, "will make sure you…behave." He stressed the last word, the threat obvious. "Contained within this device is a video camera and microphone. I will be able to see everything you do and hear everything you say," he placed the device in her hand, "so if you step out of line… Well, you know."

She squeezed the faux stone in her hand, channeling her fury into it like one of the stress balls Cyborg was always telling Robin to buy.

"Replace it," he boomed, and she jumped at the suddenness. Regardless, she obeyed, prying the original stone out of its fastening before setting the new one in its place. The adhesive back held so quickly, she hardly had time to ensure the stone was set correctly before it had hardened to the point where she could not move it if she tried.

In the meantime, Slade had gone back over to the chest of drawers and returned with small, circular device that looked very similar to her-

"A communicator," he clarified, turning it over to reveal yet another narcissistic insignia. "Do not carry it with you. When I want to contact you," he pointed to her new stone, "that will vibrate slightly. When you feel it," his voice grew stern, "call me as soon as possible. Do not keep me waiting," he pulled the metal trigger out of his pocket once again, "I'm not a patient man."

Starfire gulped and Slade placed the device back into his pocket, apparently content she had gotten the message. He handed her the communicator before sweeping the suit off the table and tossing that at her as well.

"Go," he barked abruptly. "Wait for my call."

She paused a moment, confused by her sudden dismissal, before taking a few steps backward toward the exit, not wanting to turn her back on the man. As she reached the doorjamb, she turned around, preparing to take flight, when his commanding voice stopped her once again.

"Starfire!" he shouted, and her stomach pitched forward at the sound of her name in his voice.

She turned hesitantly, only to find him directly behind her, glaring down menacingly.

"Tell no one," he enunciated treacherously, "or else".

And, with that, he shoved past her and continued down the hallway, leaving her free to fly back out the hole she had created, tears rolling down her face to splash onto the suit clutched in her arms.


	3. Promise Me

**_Answers to Your Questions: _**_I am intending this story to go through the end of Season Two, which is of course going to be very different because I am taking Terra out completely (I never liked her anyway). I'm anticipating around 15 chapters._

_I've had one person ask me about a sequel, and I honestly hadn't thought about it, but I'd be willing to do some brainstorming if that was something you guys would be interested in, so PM me to let me know._

_Chapters will be posted weekly (Friday or Saturday), but look for a special bonus chapter this Monday or Tuesday. Happy Labor Day!_

**_NOTES:_**_ Shifts to Robin's perspective (I will only be working with Robin and Starfire) will be labelled and marked at the beginning and end by slashes (/\/\/\__). Gaps in time will be marked by (...)._

_For some chapters, I will include songs that I feel fit or that inspired me in some way, along with the location where the song begins to be relevant. Just so you know what's going on below here. If you go onto my tumblr (see my profile page for the link) you will find an audio post that includes any songs listed, which will be posted the same time as the chapter, so you can go there if you don't want to bother with youtube._

**_Songs: _**_"Requiem on Water" – Imperial Mammoth (Starfire's POV, after she surfaces from the sewer)_

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**Chapter 3: Promise Me**

**_Robin_**

"Is everyone okay?" Robin shouted, his hands frantically working through the water to spin himself around.

"Sensors aren't picking up anything," Cyborg affirmed, his fingers flying across the keyboard in his arm.

"I'm not dead either," Beast Boy chimed in with obvious relief.

"Same," came Raven's monotonous agreement.

Robin's brow furrowed as he looked at his fellow three Titans. "Well then what was that thing?"

"I don't know," answered Cyborg, still beeping away on his arm, "but I can tell you what it wasn't: A Chronoton Detonator."

"What?" Robin asked, swimming closer to Cyborg. "What do you mean?"

His robotic friend looked up at his approach. "That thing we disabled," he gestured toward the boat, on which the metal remains of the device still rested, "it wasn't a real Chronoton Detonator." His expression turned grave. "It was a decoy."

"A decoy?" said a higher-pitched voice to Robin's left, and he looked to find Beast Boy and Raven had joined them.

"A decoy for what?" Raven elaborated.

Robin looked down at the surface of the water, his frown reflected back at him in ripples. He started as the cogs clicked into place in his mind.

"Starfire!" he gasped, diving between Raven and Beast Boy as he butterflied toward the tunnel walkway.

"No…" Beast Boy and Cyborg breathed in unison.

"Let's go," Raven interjected, rising out of the water with a flare of black wings.

In seconds, Robin was at the tunnel wall, pulling himself up onto the narrow walkway that lined the side. Raven shot in front of him as a green tiger leapt onto the concrete beside him. A loud splashing sound told him Cyborg had just climbed up behind him.

The three boys took off running after Raven, who had slowed to a pace they could keep up with. He was tempted to screw his better judgment and tell her and Beast Boy to go ahead, just so the coldness tightening around his heart would lessen, but he knew they shouldn't separate. He didn't know what awaited them around the next corner, and they were already a man down. He pushed himself harder, his footfalls heavy on the cement. Unwilled, images of torn purple leather, splayed red hair, and glazed green eyes filled his head.

'_Pull it together, pull it together!_' he chanted to himself, pushing all of his energy to his legs, willing them to carry him faster. _'She'll be fine. We'll find her. Alive, alive, alive…'_ he silently hoped, clinging to that one word as if his very sanity depended on the truth of it. And maybe, in a way he could not even admit to himself, it did.

"THERE!" Raven called from above, jerking his attention back to actual reality and not his horrible, imagined one.

He looked ahead and saw a gaping hole in the wall, a matching one on the wall directly opposite. His heart leapt into his throat with both excitement and fear.

"STARFIRE!" he screamed, a burst of speed coming from some sort of reservoir within him as he pushed past Beast Boy and Raven, who looked at him with an odd mix of surprise and pity as he pulled ahead.

He stopped dead as he reached the entrance to one of the holes, his hands fumbling with his utility belt. Pulling out an "R"-emblazoned flashlight, he surveyed the cavity before him. The walls were dark and shiny from what Robin hoped was water running down and pooling on the floor below. There were remnants of the shattered wall littering the ground in front of him, but nothing else, which came as both a relief and a renewed terror.

"Over here!" Cyborg called, and Robin whipped around with a head rush of hope.

With a running start, he easily leapt the gap between tunnel walls and landed with a quick crouch at the entrance to the opposite chasm.

"What, what is it?" He frantically pointed his flashlight into the dark, but saw only three faces greeting him. He was about to explode when Raven, probably sensing his impending misplaced aggression, intervened.

"Cinderblock was here," she pointed to a large imprint on the ground. Robin scanned over the portion that wasn't already illuminated by Cyborg's shoulder light. Sure enough, the rocks were broken neatly in the form of a set of massive legs.

"Starfire and Cinderblock definitely went a few rounds," Cyborg said, his light scanning the room as he wandered away from the group, "but I can't tell who won." He turned back to face them, his expression sad and guilty. "Or where they went."

Robin's brain froze and melted all at once, and he could feel his mouth quiver slightly before he recomposed himself.

"Beast Boy-"

"On it!" he asserted, turning into a bloodhound in anticipation of Robin's order.

Robin felt a rush of gratefulness toward his friend at that moment, but now was not the time. Now, he had to be Robin: the leader, The Boy Wonder. Not Robin: the 16-year-old boy about to have a nervous breakdown. So, he simply nodded.

"Raven, see if you can-"

"Sense her, got it," and she immediately floated into the air cross-legged and began chanting.

On any other occasion, Robin may have been concerned that he was apparently incredibly predictable, but today, it was an asset.

"I'll wander around a bit and see if I can pick up any…" Cyborg paused, his back stiffening.

Everyone turned to look at him, the tension in the room palpable.

"…signatures," he finished, lowering his gaze away from them and turning to his console.

To distract himself from going down that particular train of thought any further, Robin pulled his communicator from his belt. He deftly flipped it open with one hand and began furiously lighting up keys with the other. A blue bar spun out from the center of the screen, completing multiple rotations before a red "X" appeared in its place.

"I can't locate her communicator," he stated, trying to keep his voice as even as possible. "It must have been damaged in the fight." He presented himself with the only explanation he considered acceptable, looking up at his friends for support.

"Or," Raven began cautiously, opening one eye to meet the fearful gaze she couldn't she, "it's out of range."

Robin didn't like that idea either, but at least it was better than…

He went back to busying himself with the communicator. "I'm going to try broadening the search area," he conceded, turning his back to them as he walked out into the tunnel.

Outside the collapsed-in room, it was relatively quiet. Only Beast Boy's distant sniffs from around the corner behind him and Raven's faint murmur broke through the flowing water. Robin poked away at the keyboard, scanning again and again and again. The same "X" mocked his every attempt and he growled, frustrated. He let his right hand fall to his side, red-flashing communicator reflecting off the damp wall beside his leg. He pinched the bridge of his nose with the opposite thumb and forefinger, breathing deeply. He allowed himself these few moments of weakness before raising the communicator back up and clicking a different sequence of buttons. A beep announced its readiness, and Robin brought the device to his mouth.

"Starfire?" he called, soft enough that his counterparts wouldn't hear. He released the button, and was greeted by static. His blood cooled in his veins, but he pressed on. "Starfire?!" he pleaded, an endless loop of _'Pick up!'_ playing in his mind. Still static.

"AGH!" he snarled, throwing himself back against the tunnel wall, his head banging off the stone. He closed his eyes, focusing on trying to slow his breathing away from the hyperventilating level. When he opened them a few moments later, he tilted his head down to look at the communicator still playing static in his hand. He slowly brought it up to his mouth once more, the screen nearly brushing his lips as he depressed the button.

"Be safe," he whispered, before closing it with a -_click- _and heading back to the others, his heart heavy with worry.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Starfire wandered forward, one hand held aloft to illuminate the way. It had been easy enough to find Slade's hideout with Cinderblock's communicator guiding the way, but she had no way of knowing how to get back to where she had been.

"Ooooh!" she whined to herself, her eyes scanning wall-to-wall, trying to find something familiar. A glint of metal caught her eye as it entered the ring of green light, and she gasped with delight. Never in her life would she have imagined to be so happy seeing a ladder. Rushing toward it, she let the green die from her fist as she clasped the cool steel. Barely suppressing a squeal, she eagerly placed one purple boot on the first rung, preparing to surface. She stopped short, however, her face falling to a frown, and she lowered herself back to the grimy concrete.

She frowned down at the black suit tucked under her arm and the communicator clipped to her belt, ironically hooked right next to her Titans one. She would have to hide them down here and come back for them later, certain her friends would locate her before she could conceal them in her room. She elevated a hand once more, scanning the surrounding area for a suitable hiding place. It was highly unlikely anyone would come across her cache down here, but she did not wish to take the chance.

She noticed a lose stone in the wall a few feet away and made her way to it, throwing the suit over her shoulder temporarily so she could dislodge it. The stone came free with ease, and Starfire peered inside. It looked as if the cavity would be big enough, so she placed the stone on the ground to prepare her things. Rolling the communicator up inside the suit, she shoved the bundle to the back of the opening before replacing the stone. Assured that it was secure, she returned to the ladder, but paused again as she wrapped her fingers around the bars.

She glanced back at the stone that she knew held her secret, a horrible secret, a secret she did not wish to bear. Sickness overcame her for at least the fourth time that evening, but this time it was directed at herself. Shame and guilt flooded her eyes, and she bit her lower lip to stop its trembling. Unable to look at the offending stone any longer, she lowered her eyes to the ladder in front of her and rested her forehead against the cold steel, not caring about how dirty she knew it must be. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, breathing in the rank odor of sewage that she had never become accustomed to, even with wandering the tunnels for at least half of an hour.

"You must," she whispered, reaffirming it to herself. "It is to save your friends. You must…" but her assertions did little to ease her conscience.

With a composing breath, she lifted her head and climbed the ladder, carefully pushing the grate up just enough to peek through a crack. She was familiar with Jump City, but there were areas that Robin insisted were very dangerous, and thus she had not entered them very often. She had lost all sense of direction wandering the tunnels, and thus squinted out onto the street with great trepidation at what unknown evils lay lurking just outside.

"Glorious!" she cried, fear giving way to joy as she erupted from the manhole to find herself in the deserted intersection in front of the place of pizza they frequented. She spiraled in the air, happy to be able to fly in open space once again, and breathed in the smell of not-sewage. Actually, it smelled like pizza, and her stomach growled in response. As she placed a hand against the rumbling skin, another infinitely more important sound broke through the roar.

"No!" Robin growled fiercely through the communicator, and Starfire sunk ever-so-slightly in the air at the scolding, even though it could not possibly be directed at her. "We will NOT go home! I don't care if you're tired! I don't care if you're about to drop out of the damn sky! Nobody goes anywhere until we FIND HER!"

Starfire cringed and looked down apologetically at the communicator on her belt. She had never heard Robin talk like that; so angry, so mean. She had no idea how she could ever explain this, and everyone else was probably terribly worried as well. Looking up at the dark sky and unlit signage, she reasoned it must have been well after midnight, meaning she he had been gone for hours. The ground came closer and closer as the hopelessness of her situation sank in.

"Hey!" came Cyborg's booming reprimand. He seemed to remember himself though, because his voice softened as he continued. "You know he didn't mean it like that. We're all worried, man, but you gotta calm do-"

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" Robin shouted again, the speaker squealing in protest.

Starfire winced again, trembling as she reached for her communicator. Her feet hit the ground as she completely lost her flight, and her mind whirled furiously trying to think of what to say. She had to say something soon, or they would find her calmly standing in the middle of the street. And that would be so much worse.

"Robin," Raven's stern voice cut in, "you're tired. We're all tired. Maybe it's time we-"

"What, gave up?!" he spat accusatorily.

"Dude, chill!" Beast Boy exhorted, coming to Raven's defense.

"Chill? CHILL!?" Robin imitated furiously.

Starfire's knees were shaking. He was going to be so mad at her. So, so mad at her.

"How can I chill, how can you even _say _that, when she's out there somewhere, anywhere!?"

She had to say something, before this got even worse.

"She could be lost or captured or hurt or, or-"

"R- Robin..." she interrupted, haltingly.

There was absolute silence for a moment before-

"STARFIRE!?" said 4 voices in unison, before 3 continued in a flurry of questions.

"Are you hurt?"

"Where are you?"

"Where were you?"

"What happened?"

"Quiet," Robin interjected, the authority in his steely tone making up for his low volume.

The group fell silent, Starfire holding her breath.

"Where are you?" His voice was calm in a barely-restrained sort of way, and Starfire found herself missing the shouting.

"I- um- I am by the- the Pizza Junction," she said softly, looking behind her to be sure.

As she confirmed she was in the right spot, she saw that the sign actually read, 'Pizza Corner'. Feeling foolish, especially because Robin must have corrected her on that dozens of times, she opened her mouth to correct it.

"Stay there. I'm on my way," he responded before she had the chance, and she could hear the R-Cycle roar in the background. "Everyone else, go home. We'll meet you there," he continued, his tone making it clear that it was not open for discussion.

"But-" Beast Boy ventured, obviously put out.

"End open comm," Robin commanded the computer, and the feed went silent.

Starfire inhaled in sharp gasps, fighting back tears. Would he yell at her? Would the others? What would she tell them? What _could_ she tell them? She tried to still the shaking in her knees as she waited, simultaneously wishing he would arrive and wishing he wouldn't.

Soon enough, the steady buzz of a motorcycle could be heard, getting louder and louder by the second. Turning in the direction she thought it was coming from, she saw a single headlight squeal around a corner and shoot toward her. A small whimper escaped her, and she instinctively folded her arms across her chest protectively.

The R-Cycle squealed to a sideways stop in front of her, and she saw her own, fearful expression reflected off the black helmet of the driver. He leapt off the bike in one, fluid motion, his steel-toed boots hitting the asphalt with loud clicks that echoed off the surrounding buildings. He stood there for a few seconds of intolerable silence before lifting his green-gloved hands to remove the mirrored helmet. He ran his fingers through his hair as it was freed, setting it back up into its usual position. He then tucked the helmet under his arm and lifted his head to look at her, an indiscernible expression on the lower half of his face.

"Are you hurt?"

His tone was so lifeless, she shivered at the chill of it, her back hunching and knees bending inward as she wilted. Unable to look him in the eye, she instead answered the yellow "R" on his chest.

"No," she breathed, hugging herself tighter as her eyes fell all the way to her own feet. She sucked in a deep breath, preparing to explain herself.

"Robin-" she cut off as a hand closed around her arm and tugged, sending her pitching forward.

He caught her as she collapsed into his chest, her head banging against his shoulder. She blinked blearily, her eyes trying to focus on the chin in front of her through the shock. There was a warmth around her waist and, as her heart starting beating again and blood returned to her brain, she realized Robin's arms were around her. Before she had completely wrapped her mind around this unforeseen turn of events, Robin spoke, his shoulder vibrating against her ear.

"Don't do that again," he entreated, his voice slightly higher than normal. "Ever," he added, tightening his arms around her.

Starfire lifted a hand to his chest and gripped the fabric, her eyes burning as she fought to push down the tears. She was so surprised, so ashamed, so guilty. Trying to pull words through the lump in her throat must have taken longer than she thought because Robin continued.

"Promise me?" he asked, turning his head so his lips brushed her hair.

Her fingers clasped tighter onto the red fabric in her hand as she squeezed her eyes shut. Her top teeth cut into her bottom lip in her attempt to seal off the sobs that were rising in her throat. She tucked her head down further into his chest and, as she moved, the new stone in her breastplate appeared in her peripheral vision. In that instant, everything came flooding back.

Just beneath the warm skin against her cheek, thousands of nanobots were coursing through Robin's blood, able to kill him at any moment if Slade saw or heard anything through that stone that he did not like. He was probably watching right now. She could not promise Robin she would not disappear again, that she would not scare him, that she would stay safe. She could not even promise that she would stay alive, only that she would do her best to make sure he did. At that thought, a small whimper broke through the dam, and she felt Robin tense.

"Star?" he pried concernedly, pulling away slightly as he placed a hand on the back of her neck and attempted to tilt her head to meet his gaze.

With that one, whispered syllable, she broke.

Her knees rattled and gave out, sending her crashing back into his chest. She buried her face in the cloth, grabbing handfuls as if it were the only thing keeping her from falling off the earth. Sobs tore through the seam of her lips, leaving her throat burning and raw. The carefully-maintained floodgates in her eyes shattered, and torrents of searing tears rushed down her tan cheeks. She watched as some fell free from her chin to form dark red rivers on Robin's uniform. She tried to apologize, but could only manage a small gasp before a fresh sob overtook her.

"God, Star," Robin breathed, his arms tight around her, keeping her upright. "What happened?"

She could not tell him, even if she had wanted to. She could hardly believe it herself. She did not know how she had managed to hold it together as long as she did, but now that it was out, she could not stop it. Perhaps this was the shock that people talked about.

She answered him by shaking her head against his chest, the accompanying whimpers being entirely involuntary.

"Okay, okay," he allowed, and went back to silently holding her up.

Her breaths were coming in gasps, and they were getting more and more manic all the time. She felt like she could not breathe, and that panic only made it worse.

"Star, you need to calm down."

She could hear Robin's voice, but it was far away and warbled, like he was talking underwater.

"Star? Starfire, breathe."

There was a dull throbbing in her head, and she moaned softly in pain and confusion. Her vision was blurring erratically, the edges beginning to go dark.

"Starfire? Starfire!"

And then, it all went dark.


	4. Deceit

**_Author's Note: _**_As promised, here is your extra special bonus chapter! Happy Labor Day!_

_Also, about my chapter-updating. I put up a new chapter every week (usually Friday), but if you guys wanted it to be more frequently than that, I could probably do that. I have this fic written up to Chapter 11, so I could speed it up if you guys were suffering, haha! Just let me know!_

_**About a sequel: **I decided not to do a sequel for "Burn", but I do have an idea for another fic entirely that I will begin posting shortly after I finish this one. Be on the lookout for that!_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Deceit**

The first thing Starfire was aware of were voices. The muffled mumblings put her at ease for some reason, but she could not yet comprehend any more than that. The second thing Starfire was aware of was that she was in a bed. Likely a hospital bed, considering the beeps and hisses that were interfering with the voices she was trying to understand. The third thing Starfire was aware of was that she could not yet muster the strength to open her eyes, but the panic of this discovery was replaced by curiosity as the voices became more audible.

"But she'll be okay, right?"

_'Beast Boy?' _She tried to open her eyes to confirm her suspicions, but she could only manage a slight fluttering of the eyelids.

"I didn't sense anything…physically wrong with her."

"Physically?"

_'Robin…'_

"I can't get any particulars, but whatever's going on with her, it's psychological."

"So, she'll be okay?"

A spasm of pain crossed her heart at Beast Boy's earnest tone. Siphoning energy from anywhere she had some to spare, she pushed her eyes open. She blinked a few times as her vision cleared, the ceiling gradually coming into focus. She was thankful for the darkness of the room, for any lights would have only irritated the pounding in her head. Glancing around, she noticed the various monitors that were emitting the offending beeps, which bore into her head like shrapnel. Somehow, she heard Robin's voice through the din, and looked out toward the door to see his silhouette through the glass.

"Raven, couldn't you-"

"You know it doesn't work that way, Robin," Raven snapped back at him. "And, even if it did, I wouldn't invade her privacy like that. Not without her permission."

"And what if she doesn't tell us?" he argued, his silhouette gesticulating.

"That's kind of up to her, man." Cyborg was being gentle with him, Starfire could tell.

"But it could be really awful! It could be- She could be- Someone could have-"

"She's awake," Raven interrupted, a little bit of relief evident in her otherwise usual, matter-of-fact tone.

The door banged open, eliciting a wince from Starfire, and three heads were suddenly hovering over her, the spiky one notably absent.

"You're alive!" Beast Boy cried, his upper body crashing down onto her bed as he attempted to hug her lying down.

She smiled in spite of the pain his yell had caused. Beast Boy was always amusing, if a little loud.

"Hey there, little lady," Cyborg leaned down toward her, "Sleep well?"

She was about to answer when a wave of fatigue overtook her. Her eyelids fluttered as she fought to stay conscious, a faint groan slipping past her lips. She felt Beast Boy's head lift off her bed.

"Raven, what-"

"Move"

The blurry heads above her parted and were replaced by a single, very easily identifiable one.

"Robin…" she said weakly, unsure if he could even hear her.

"Get those wires off," he ordered, and Raven's hooded figure entered her field of vision. No sooner had the last sensor been peeled off than the blanket was whipped off of her, and she was swept into leather-clad arms.

"What are you-"

"She needs sun," Robin answered Raven's unfinished query.

She felt herself moving, but the path was a blur. Before she knew it, the insides of her eyelids turned red as a familiar warmth crept into her skin. Her eyes flickered open to reveal the roof of Titans Tower, which stretched before her until it gave way to shimmering, blue water. A warm breeze twisted a strand of hair across her face, and raised her hand to brush it away.

"Better?"

She smiled up at the mask staring down at her. "Much. Thank you," she answered.

A ghost of a smile flickered across his face, but he replied with a rather curt, "You're welcome."

Starfire's heart sank a little bit. In spite of the frequency of its occurrence, she did not know if she would ever become accustomed to this tendency of his. It was obvious that the Robin she had seen before -the tender, caring, vulnerable one- was gone now. Apparently, her face betrayed her mourning.

"Something wrong?" His face was crumpled in confusion, and she felt a faint exasperation at his ignorance.

Nevertheless, she pitched a smile on her face. "Nothing is wrong," she chirped listlessly, "You may release me now."

He looked at her suspiciously, but made to set her on the ground all the same.

She didn't land, however, and instead floated several feet above him to hover in the fresh, morning sunlight.

"Starfire?" Robin's hesitant voice drifted up to meet her.

She turned, but did not change her altitude.

"Uh…" He looked extremely uncomfortable, as if not sure how to proceed. "About before. I want to- Well, I was wondering…"

For a moment she was looking at the other Robin, his expression concerned. He lowered his gaze and sighed heavily, and when he lifted his eyes up to her again, his countenance had gone stony once more.

"What happened?" he pressed, business-like.

She felt her lips close together with annoyance, but she quickly pushed it aside and lowered herself down in front of him.

She hesitated, her mouth opening and closing several times. She did not want to lie, but she certainly could not tell him the truth. She brushed her fingers against the stone in her breastplate, wondering if they were being overheard this very moment. _'Then again,'_ she thought, glancing down at the green gem, _'maybe Slade was lying…' _It would be very much like Slade to fabricate the whole thing just to keep her in line; the stone may not be a spying device at , even if it were, he could not possibly watch her all the time. If she could just tell Robin, he would figure something out. He always did. Sucking in a deep breath, she launched into what she intended to be the fastest story of her life.

"Well, I beat Cinderblock. It did not take me very long and I remained undamaged. Before leaving to find you, I saw a type of communicator in his hand which contained a map to Slade's headquarters- Please, let me continue uninhibited," she interjected quickly as Robin opened his mouth to interrupt.

He looked rather shocked, but nodded.

"I followed the map and, when I got to the end, I foun-"

"AGH!" Robin cried, clutching his side and crumpling to his knees in front of her.

"ROBIN!" She darted forward, placing her hands on his shoulders as she kneeled in front of him.

His face was creased in pain, his breathing shallow, and she could tell he was struggling not to cry out again.

Just as quickly as it began, it stopped. She could feel the tension in his shoulders release, and his breathing returned to normal as his body relaxed.

"I'm fine, Star," he said softly, lifting his head to meet her eyes. "Just a muscle spasm or something," he smiled reassuringly.

Starfire let out a small, involuntary gasp, her hand clutching at her own chest. For, at that very moment, the gem vibrated ever-so-slightly against her sternum. She looked up at Robin's sincere smile and knew he was lying. That was not a muscle spasm. It was a warning.

"Really, I'm fine," Robin continued, misinterpreting her reaction. "Probably just a bruise from the fight," he speculated nonchalantly, rising to his feet and pulling her with him.

Starfire slid her arms out from his grip, momentarily wounded. She looked into his face, searching, but he betrayed nothing. If she did not know he was lying, she would never have been able to tell. She turned away from him, taking a few steps toward the roof's edge to gaze out at the bay. How many times had this worked? How many lies had she believed? She knew Robin was secretive, but somehow she had always thought she was…different. She wrapped her arms around herself as she heard Robin approaching from behind.

"So?"

She turned her head to where he now stood beside her, facing her with his arms crossed. "So…?" she inquired, confused.

"Slade!"

She took a half step back, startled by his reaction.

"Did you find his headquarters? Where was it? Was he there? " he moved toward her, arms waving wildly, his voice getting louder with every question.

"Robin," she cautioned, retreating.

He stopped his advance, and she heard him take a single, deep, calming breath.

"Sorry," he said quickly, obviously uncomfortable with the word. "Just…continue. Please," he added, the word losing some of its politeness in his curt tone.

She frowned, both at Robin's impatience and her own, impending dishonesty.

"I- I found," she hesitated, still forming her falsified story in her mind. "I found…nothing," she finished, trying to keep her voice even. "It was…a trap," she added, creating details as she went along. "There were…machines," she included that small element of fact, "and it was dark, like some sort of cave."

Robin's eyes widened, and she had the bittersweet realization that he was believing her.

"There was…an explosion," she continued, hating herself for every word, "but I managed to escape before the cave collapsed."

Robin frowned, and her chest tightened with guilt.

"I- I believe it was simply a distraction; a way for Slade to separate us." It really was much easier for her to be deceptive when she included portions of the truth like that.

"Yea, that makes sense," Robin mused, one hand cradling his chin as his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

Starfire's eyes widened in surprise at her success, but Robin, thankfully, did not appear to notice the momentary break in her façade.

"But," he added, and her heart stopped. "You were gone for hours. What happened after the explosion?"

"Oh," she barely contained her sigh of relief, "I was lost in the sewers."

"For two hours?" he interrogated.

She swallowed hard. Obviously, he was more suspicious than she had thought.

"I- I…" her mind worked frantically, trying to think of something Robin would accept, something that would deter him from asking any more questions. She was reminded of an event that had taken place only a few weeks ago. It had certainly made Robin angry enough then; maybe it would distract him now too. "Well, I surfaced at one point, but the area was unfamiliar."

Robin scowled, and Starfire assumed he was thinking of the many areas of Jump he had advised her never to go to.

"There were many fires in the bins for trash, and people shouting." She was pulling details from television shows now, hoping the bad areas of Jump were similar. "Then, a group of men began following me," she began, observing Robin's reaction.

His mouth twitched slightly as his hands balled up into fists. Sadly, this was exactly what Starfire had been hoping for.

"They were yelling things -I did not understand most of it- and were doing the…whistling of wolves?" She could not quite recall what Robin had called the distinct sound a couple of boys had made on that occasion a few weeks ago, but he seemed to understand what she meant.

His fists clenched even tighter as she continued.

"I was frightened," she tried to make her voice match the words, "so I hid until they left. Then I returned to the sewer until I found somewhere familiar." She held her breath, hoping that would be enough explanation.

"Hmm," Robin considered, his eyes lowering to the communicator at his belt, "I guess the communicators don't work underground. I'll have to look into that." He looked back up at her, his expression indiscernible. "I'm glad you're okay," he said flatly, before turning away from her and heading toward the entrance to the stairs.

She watched as he walked to the door, turning the handle and opening it with a scrape of metal. As he did so, however, three people tumbled out onto the roof, landing in a tangled pile at his feet.

Starfire smiled, her spirits still too damp to muster the giggle this normally would have elicited.

"Subtle, guys," she heard Robin mock before he stepped over them and disappeared down the stairs.

Beast Boy chuckled nervously, inciting glares from Raven and Cyborg as they all untangled themselves to standing.

"What? It was Cyborg's idea!" he defended, pointing at his robotic friend.

"You're the one that said-"

"Guys!" Raven interjected, stepping in-between them. "Priorities," she gestured to Starfire.

Starfire smiled meekly, raising a hand in a small wave. "Greetings, friends!" she chirped, approaching them. "Tell me, what perils did you encounter after our separation?"

"Oh, you won't believe it!" Beast Boy began eagerly. "Cyborg tried to disable the autopilot and the boat starting freaking out and then he had to blast it and then the time-stopper thingy…"

She followed the group down the stairs, pretending to be listening to Beast Boy's explanation and Cyborg's frequent interruptions to add supplementary details. It was difficult to feign surprise at the right moments when she had seen most of what he was describing on Slade's television screens, but she did her best. She then had to retell her falsified tale, with many interjections from Beast Boy, before excusing herself under the guise of exhaustion.

Hours later, however, she was still lying awake, her head lolling off the bottom in her usual sleeping position. Her mind was spinning with questions, guilt, and fear. She had lied to her best friends, her surrogate family, and that was certainly only the beginning of the evils she was destined to commit. She moaned, rolling over and grabbing a pillow to hug between her chest and the bed.

Everyone else, truly exhausted from the all-night search, had gone to bed quite some time ago, and Starfire could no longer find an excuse to delay the inevitable. Rising from the bed, she floated over to the glass wall of her room, opening one of the windows as quietly as possible. She deftly slipped out, making sure to secure the bar so the window could not blow shut before her return. With that, she shot off toward the mainland, hoping no one happened to be looking out a window at that particular moment.

It was easy enough to find the stashed tools of her deception, and she did not believe anyone had seen her enter through a nearby manhole. She unrolled the suit to ensure the communicator was still inside, and, as her fingers grazed the metal insignia, the communicator burst open. She nearly dropped her suit fumbling to catch the device, but she managed to get a grip on the top part of the open screen.

"Nice catch," came a now-familiar voice.

Starfire looked down to see Slade staring up at her, his masked face upside-down. She readjusted the suit under her arm and righted the communicator, raising it up in front of her face.

"I see you got my message," he taunted, and she could feel her pulse quickening with mounting fury.

"I did not tell him anything, there was no need to-"

"You were about to," he interjected calmly, and she knew arguing was pointless. "But you pulled it together quite nicely. Clever," he praised, "using Robin's jealousy against him like that. We have more in common than I tho-"

"I am nothing like you!" she bellowed, feeling her eyes burning green.

"Oh, aren't you?" he challenged, leaning closer so his face took up more of the screen. "Lying to your friends, manipulating their weaknesses to your advantage. You're more like me than you dare to imagine, my dear."

"You- You are threatening me!" she shouted, her voice strangled. "I am not- not- EVIL like you! I am only doing this to protect my friends!" Her hands were shaking with fury, but Slade remained completely unconcerned.

"We'll see, my dear. We'll see," he snickered. "I'll be seeing you," he added knowingly before the screen went black.

It took Starfire several minutes to calm down enough to where she felt comfortable emerging from the sewer and back into society. The suit and communicator tucked under her arm, she flew off toward Titans Tower, willing everyone to still be asleep. Assumedly they were, because she entered her room and closed the window without any confrontations. She stood there for a moment, uncertain where to hide the shameful instruments. She finally settled on a back corner of her closet, behind the store of zorkaberries Galfore had sent her from Tamaran. She doubted anyone would be doing the snooping through her room, but, if they did for any reason, they would certainly not think to look back there.

With a sigh, she fell back onto her bed, suddenly realizing how exhausted she really was. She knew this was only the beginning, but she could not worry about that at the moment. She would do whatever was necessary to protect her friends, however terrible the cost. With that cause easing her conscience, her eyes drooped and she surrendered to the darkness.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Robin_**

He stared at the computer screen, eyes aching, but he would not succumb to sleep. Something wasn't adding up, something didn't feel right, and he couldn't sleep until that nagging suspicious was satisfied. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he clicked through data, inputting numbers into formulas and completing calculations. He frowned as the solutions flashed in front of him. Lifting his communicator off the desk, he turned it over in his hands skeptically.

"It should have worked…" he mumbled to himself, his eyebrows wrinkling together.

As far as he could tell in all his tests and calculations, there was no reason Starfire's communicator wouldn't have worked in those sewers. He'd had a hand in designing the tech for these communicators himself. The only way to jam the signal was to use, well, a frequency jammer. Sure, certain things could cause interference, but there were no power plants, cell phone towers, or radio broadcast stations in the vicinity of where they had been that evening. Even accounting for the radius Starfire could have travelled in the time between separating from them and reappearing, considering Robin had no idea where exactly she had been, he could find no reasonable explanation for why she went dark all that time.

It was possible, of course, that Slade had set up a frequency jammer in the explosion Starfire had mentioned, but Robin doubted that. In fact, Robin doubted Starfire's entire story. She had seemed uncomfortable explaining it, and hadn't gone into her usual, flamboyant detail. And then there was the fact that parts of her story just didn't make sense. Why would Slade want to separate her from the group? Why try and kill her? Not that she wasn't important, but Robin had always thought he was Slade's primary target. Was Slade trying to get to him through Starfire now?

That was a thought Robin found particularly disturbing. He had been rather careless lately. It was possible Slade could've picked up on something…compromising. Suddenly all of Batman's advice about keeping people at arm's length made sense, something Robin never thought he would be able to say. As much as he would hate it, and as difficult as it would be, he would have to be more careful about that from now on. He couldn't let her get hurt, not for any reason, but especially not because of him.

Resigned to this necessary action, if a little frustrated by it, he turned his thoughts back to Starfire's strange behavior. She had been bordering on hysterical last night, nearly scaring him to death, but today she was claiming nothing really happened. He didn't like to think Starfire would lie to him, but he couldn't shake this feeling that something just didn't add up; like her whole wolf-whistling story, for instance. If he didn't know better, he would swear that she had thrown that out as a red-herring. And what was with her snapping at him like that? _"Please, let me continue uninhibited"_? What was the big rush?

"Ugh!" he snarled, his fist pounding the keyboard in frustration at the infinite, unanswered questions. He folded his arms on the edge of the desk, resting his forehead against a forearm and staring down into his lap. Even exhausted, his ears picked up the faint sound of footsteps entering the room behind him. The heaviness and tonal quality of the steps made it obvious that this was the latest round of the ongoing 'Sneak Up on Robin' game.

"Hey, Cyborg," he smirked, raising his head and spinning in his chair, his arms crossed in front of him smugly.

"Aw, man!" Cyborg whined, stomping his foot. "How do you _do _that?"

He chuckled, turning back to the computer now that his Bond-villain moment was over. "A lifetime of practice," he answered, hitting a few buttons on the keyboard to make his research disappear.

"What's that?" Cyborg asked, entering the room to stand behind him.

"Just some numbers I'm running," he shrugged, trying to avoid suspicion.

"Do you ever sleep?" Cyborg goaded.

Robin shook his head mournfully, rubbing his temples.

"You okay?" Cyborg moved to stand beside him, dwarfing him in his chair.

"Yea," Robin brushed off, "Just…something Star said."

"Uh-oh! Trouble in paradise?" He wiggled his eyebrows as Robin glared at him.

"No!" he corrected, realizing too late that his answer carried an implication. He hastened to change the subject. "It's just something she said while we were talking. She got all," he struggled for the word, "…snippy." It sounded so dumb coming out of his mouth, and Cyborg seemed to agree because he laughed loudly.

"Snippy?" he guffawed. "Okay, okay," he said, growing serious under Robin's glare, "What happened?"

"Well," Robin began, setting his elbows on his knees and holding his head in his hands, "she was telling the story, and she got to the part where she mentioned Slade and-"

"And you lost it," Cyborg finished, as if there was no doubt.

"What? No!" he snapped, offended. "I was just gonna ask a question, but she cut me off and said- she told me- Oh, what was it?" he paused, searching his memory. "She said, 'let me continue uninhibited'"

Cyborg burst into hysterics, clutching the back of Robin's chair for support. Robin's eyes widened, surprised and confused.

"Star- Star told you to shut up?!" He could barely get the words out through the laughter.

"No!" Robin stood up, trying to be intimidating in spite of the height difference, "She told me to let her continue uninhibited!"

"Yea, but in Starfire that's like: 'Shut up, you spiky-haired midget!'" He laughed even harder at himself, and Robin fumed.

"Ugh, forget it!" he shot over his shoulder as he stormed out, leaving Cyborg to his hysterics.

He could still hear Cyborg's faint laughter as he got to the door of his room. Glowering, he entered the sliding door, sighing along with its closing hiss. It had been stupid to try and talk to Cyborg. It was stupid for Robin to try and talk to anyone, really. He couldn't afford to have friends the same way 'normal' people did. He was a leader, a leader whose orders needed to be followed. If he started confiding in people, if he showed weakness, they wouldn't respect him enough to follow those orders, and people would get hurt.

_'Oh, god,'_ he thought, his eyes widening in horror, _'I'm Batman!'_

With a dismayed cry, he collapsed onto his bed, bouncing slightly as his back hit the mattress. He was just laying there staring at the ceiling, one arm over his head, when something flashed in the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw a streak of purple approaching the Tower. He propped himself up on his elbow, twisting toward the window.

"Starfire?" he asked the empty room.

He contemplated getting up and going to the window, but his lurking suspicions convinced him to stay put and watch. As she got closer, he noticed she was carrying some sort of black bundle. He squinted, but it was impossible to discern exactly what it was. Her room being just down the hall from his, she got close enough for him to get a pretty good look at her face before she disappeared beyond his sightline. She looked nervous, maybe even downright afraid, and also a little bit sad.

"What happened to you?" he wondered aloud, his chest weighted with concern. He couldn't answer that question yet, but he was determined to find out.


	5. A Matter of Time

**_Author's Note: _**_This is my re-imagining of the episode "How Long Is Forever?" as it pertains to this fanfic. I changed A LOT, just so you're prepared, but some of the dialogue is straight out of the original episode, so see if you can spot that too! This chapter is MUCH LONGER than any of the other ones, but I didn't want to split it into two or you guys would be mad at me for the unavoidable cliffhanger, so here ya go! I'm a little bit in love with this chapter, I hope you are too!_

_Chapters 6 & 7, being that they are companion chapters, will be up this weekend._

_**Songs: "**__Dead Hearts" - Stars (it's relevant pretty much the whole way through, but especially once she's in the intersection -yes, I am intentionally vague about this so as not to give anything away)_

* * *

**Chapter 5: A Matter of Time**

It had been a few weeks since Starfire's encounter with Slade, and he had not contacted her since. She had actually gone so far as to check her closet a few times, the suit and communicator the only things to remind her that the event had even taken place at all. At the moment, however, she had more pressing concerns.

"Robin?" she asked, entering his bedroom after the door opened to her knock.

"What?" he answered curtly. He was sitting at his desk against the right wall, the glow of the screen illuminating his face. Aside from the stripes of light that slipped in through the edges of the curtains, there was no other source of light in the room.

She lifted a hand to the light panel beside the door and tapped the appropriate key. The main light in the center of the room came on and Robin let out an anguished yelp.

"Star!" He jumped up from the chair and leapt across the room, his hand smashing into the panel before she could even remove hers, pinning her to the wall.

The room returned to relative darkness, but not before she had gotten a good look at his face.

"Oh, Robin…" she breathed, alarmed.

Trembling, she brought her free, left hand up to his right cheek. Her tan fingers ghosted against his startlingly pale skin, which was unnaturally cold beneath her touch.

"Don't," he whispered, a hand shooting up to grab her wrist and pull her hand from his face.

She gasped at the chill his bare hand imparted on her skin, feeling the clamminess of his palms.

His ragged breathing puffed in her face before he abruptly released her and turned away.

"Robin," she began, her voice shaking, "A-Are you…unwell?"

"No," he growled, returning to the desk chair and resuming his typing.

"But," she warily continued, venturing further into the room, "you have been in your room for weeks now. You do not binge on the salty snacks or marathon the movies or venture to the corner of pizza or-"

"I get it."

She shrank at his cold interruption, but he would not have noticed because his eyes never left the screen. It was very important that she discuss this with him, however, so she did not leave the room like she normally would have when faced with his indifference.

"Robin," she spoke gently, trying to evade further wrath. "We are all very concerned for your well-being. You only leave your room for the occasional nourishment, and we hear you awake at all the hours." She sighed, unable to tell if he was truly listening to a word she was saying, but he had at least stopped typing.

"Robin," her voice broke with emotion, "_I_ am worried about you." She folded her hands against her chest, subconsciously covering the gem on her chest. "The only time you are around us anymore is when-"

As if on cue, red lights flashed in circles around the room and the alarm blared through the intercom.

"Trouble!" he shouted, bursting back to life. He grabbed his gloves and ran past her, leaving her standing alone and dejected in his now-empty room.

She sighed deeply, shaking her head mournfully at the floor. She was just about to fly off after him when the accursed stone in her breastplate vibrated in its slight way. Her heart fluttered. Of course Slade would pick now, of all the times, to reappear. Figuring Robin would not miss her for at least the next few minutes, she shot down to her room, flying through the door before it was even fully open. She dug through her closet, flipping the communicator open as soon as it was in her hand.

"Miss me?"

"What do you want?" She snapped, not in the mood to play the games. "I am in the middle of a thing and do not have time for your-"

"Quiet!" he barked, and she remembered herself and fell mute.

"The criminal you're going to fight, his name is Warp," Slade explained hurriedly, as if understanding her need for haste. "He is trying to steal a clock -the details are unimportant," he cut in as she opened her mouth to question. "The only important thing is that he does not get it, do you understand?"

She nodded, but ventured a question all the same. "Why do you want to prevent this clock from being stolen?"

Slade leaned closer to the camera, and she could see the light from the screen reflecting off his eye.

"So I can steal it myself, of course," and the screen faded out with his laughter.

With a growl, Starfire snapped the communicator shut and threw it to the back of her closet, careful not to put so much force behind the toss that the device broke. She took a moment to collect herself before lifting off and shooting down the hall to meet her friends.

…

"You cannot defeat Warp," the villain said, handily disabling Robin's exploding discs. "I am from the future, and you relics are 100 years out of date."

He smirked at them, his hand phasing through the glass protecting the clock. He then turned on the spot and pressed a button on his chest, opening some sort of portal in front of him.

"Ta-ta, Titans" he tossed over his shoulder smugly. "I have enjoyed our time together, but I have a very bright future ahead of me," and he turned to walk through the black void.

Starfire's eyes glowed green, and she burst forward with a cry, determined not to let the man escape. She could not fail, not with her friends' lives at the stake. She tackled him just before he disappeared within the hole, both of them tumbling forward into the nothingness.

Starfire was so intent on getting the clock from Warp, she hardly noticed the strange surroundings. She could see in her peripheral vision that it was a blur of greys and whites, and there was a loud clicking in the air, but she was more focused on her scuffling with Warp.

"Let go!" he shrieked, desperately trying to wriggle from her grasp.

"You have endangered my friends and _stolen_ that clock!"she growled in response.

"Stop!" he commanded, but his voice sounded fearful. "If you damage the suit before we reach my future- NO!" he shouted as Starfire latched onto the button at his chest, ripping it from the suit.

There was a flash of light, and she heard Warp's elongated yell fading away from her. She hovered there for a moment before she was swallowed by absolute darkness.

"AAAAH!" she screamed, suddenly falling. Looking down, she had just enough time to put her hands in front of her face for protection before she crashed into the ground, which was inexplicably covered in snow.

She rose up on her hands, snow cascading off her back. "Wha- What has happened?" she stammered, shivering. "Why is it cold? And where are my-" she stopped short, taking in her surroundings with a gasp.

She was on the edge of a city, if you could call it that. The nicer buildings were only half caved-in, and everything was covered in a thick layer of snow. She rose to her feet, trying to ascertain where she was more specifically. All she could see was a desolate, white landscape, however, so she rose a few feet into the air and began to make her way toward the city. She noticed she was still holding the button from Warp's suit, so she hooked in onto her belt to free up her hands.

As she entered the city, she saw very few signs of life. The buildings were dark and dirty, some even looked as though they had been burned, and there were no lights on anywhere. At the end of some of the alleys she passed, she could see small fires burning in the metal cans of garbage. Small groups of haggard people huddled around them, mumbling and rubbing their hands together. The main street, however, was deserted. She landed on the ground in the middle of what appeared to be a main intersection, hoping to find something or someone to tell her where she was.

"Hello?" she called, a little too quiet to actually be heard by anyone. She gulped, forcing bravery into voice.

"Hello?" No one answered. Nothing even stirred aside from a brisk wind, which whipped pieces of newspaper past her legs. One of them caught on her ankle, and she bent to pick it up.

She gasped, reading the torn, front page. 'CRIME RATE CONTINUES TO CLIMB IN JUMP CITY', read the headline, and the date was-

"This- This cannot be!" She spun around, unable to believe it. "No…" she breathed, her eyes widening as she caught sight of an unmistakable landmark.

There, staring out at her from the dirty, grey buildings, was a snow-topped neon sign in the shape of a slice of pizza. She staggered toward it, eyes stinging with tears. A trembling hand rose to her mouth as she let the newspaper section slip through her frail fingers and back into the wind. She buried her face in her hands, unable to believe what was so obviously true. As she bent, she saw the green gem glinting up at her, and a contemptible thought occurred to her. Looking around self-consciously, she gently tapped the surface of the stone.

"Slade?" she whispered, despising herself for sinking to this. "If- If you can hear me...engage in the vibrating of the stone now, please." She found herself disappointed when he did not respond, and this reaction only served to make her feel worse.

She whimpered, sinking to her knees in the snow. The cold stung her skin, but it was so unimportant now. Her head hung limply as she began to cry; soft sobs echoing off the deserted buildings.

"Hello?" inquired a cautious, male voice from behind her.

She stiffened, hear head rising up abruptly. The tears stopped as adrenaline began to pump, preparing her to combat this stranger, if necessary. And yet, there was something about that voice…

"Are you alright?" The man spoke again, and she heard his light footsteps shuffling closer through the snow.

She turned her head just enough to get a glimpse of him, and then promptly jumped up and spun around, hands igniting.

"Who- Who are you?" she demanded, trying to keep the fear and confusion out of her voice as she glared into the mask of Red X.

The man stepped backward, reaching for his belt, before abruptly freezing. One arm rose up in front of him, the hand shakily pointing at her.

"You…" he breathed, staggering backward even further. "No… No, it can't be. You- You're-"

His reaction further confused her, but the potential danger was the more pressing concern.

"Who are you?" she reiterated, more forcefully this time, the glow around her hands intensifying.

Red X lifted his hands to the level of his shoulders, palms facing outward in a gesture of surrender.

"Star," he whispered, and her heart completely stopped, "it's me." He touched one of his hands to the center of his chest to emphasize the point. "It's Robin."

Her breathing was shallow, the glow of her hands flickering with indecision. He sounded like Robin, and yet not exactly. Robin had masqueraded as Red X before, but, beneath the mask, she could not be sure.

"Here, I'll- I'll prove it to you," he assured, his hands lowering.

She stiffened her arm, green glow back in full, and pointed it directly at his chest in warning.

"Easy," he coaxed, slowing his movements. "I'm just going to get something out of my suit. Okay?" he added, seeking permission.

She hesitated, and then nodded slowly, but she did not lower her hand.

Red X reached under his mask, pulling down the collar of his uniform with one hand while the other fished around underneath.

Starfire watched his hands intensely, every muscle readied to dodge an explosive or an adhesive 'X' or-

She gasped, her arms crumpling to her sides. There, hanging from a chain around his neck, was the crystal star pendant Robin had purchased for her last Christmas. She remembered him pushing it across the table at her early that morning, before anyone else had awoken, and mumbling an explanation of how he thought she would like it before choking out a 'You're welcome' at her bone-crushing gratitude.

"I- I couldn't let them throw everything out," he muttered, pulling the necklace up in front of his face and turning it between two fingers. "Just in case you weren't-" He cut short, sighing heavily, and let the necklace drop onto his chest.

Tears welled up in Starfire's eyes as she ran at him, snow flying behind her purple boots. "Robin!" she blurted out, wrapping her arms around his neck. Tears of relief rolled down her cheeks and fell onto his-

She stood back, a quizzical expression on her face. "You are-" she hesitated, biting her lip as she questioned how to finish.

"Taller?"

She blushed, but nodded.

He simply laughed his wonderfully familiar laugh. "Yea, ten years will do that," he answered, his tone growing mournful as the sentence progressed.

"Robin," she ventured, turning to look at the bleak cityscape surrounding them, "what has happened to our city? What has become of our friends? Why are you-"

"Slow down, Star," he interrupted, hitting a button on his utility belt, which glowed red in response. "I'll explain everything, but I warn you," he said gravely as a black motorcycle sped toward them of its own accord, "you won't like what you hear."

The motorcycle pulled up beside them and he climbed on, handing her the only helmet. It had always been fruitless to argue the logic of this arrangement with the Robin she had known, so she simply took the helmet from him and clambered onto the back. Feeling slightly uncomfortable holding him around the waist like she would have usually done, she opted to grip his shoulders instead.

He chuckled, shaking his head slightly, before turning the handle and taking off down the road.

They did not speak through the course of their journey, partly because the frigid wind was whipping the breath out of her, and partly because she did not know what to say. This was Robin, her Robin, and yet a stranger at the same time. The concept made her head spin.

Robin- Red X- Whomever, pulled into a garage that opened as they approached, apparently linked to some sort of sensor. The door was a heavy metal; something Starfire guessed was a method of protection from those rising crime rates. The R -or was it X now?- Cycle squealed to a stop in the center of the room, which was startlingly bare.

"Um…" she began, voicing her confusion.

"Titans, Go" he said, his voice loud and clear.

Her eyebrows rose as she worried for his sanity, but then she noticed one of the walls was rolling away into the ceiling.

"Password," he explained, getting off the motorcycle and offering her a hand to do the same.

She took it, stepping off the motorcycle and returning his helmet.

"Come on," he beckoned, walking toward the revealed opening, hanging the helmet up on a hook as he went.

"It's a little…uh…messy," he apologized. "I don't exactly get many visitors. Secret hideout and all." He shrugged, lifting a pile of folders off a chair and gesturing for her to sit down.

Starfire was frozen, however, gaping at the room before her. It was absolutely massive, the walls shiny and metallic, with hundreds of screens, computers, scanners, and other pieces of technology Starfire had never seen before littering the walls. Where there was not an electronic device, there were newspaper clippings tacked to the walls, or the boards of white that one writes on with the disappearing markers. There were no rooms to speak of, just a kitchen in one corner and a bed in another, the space entirely open. Aside from the bed and the chairs at each of the several computer stations around the perimeter of the room, the only pieces of furniture were a grey sofa and a low, metal table set between the sofa and television. The table, and half of the sofa, was piled with yellow folders, sheets of paper sticking out at odd angles. Starfire shivered, feeling as though she were in a prison more than a dwelling

"It's not much," Robin added as he noticed her surveying, "but it's home."

"It is…" she faltered. Unable to think of a way to continue without being impolite, she changed the subject. "Robin, why do you live here? What has happened to our home?"

He hung his head, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Star…Titans Tower, The Teen Titans… They- They don't exist anymore."

Her throat went dry. "What- What do you mean? Our friends, what has happened to our friends?"

"Your friends," he countered. "They haven't been friends of mine for a long time…" he trailed off sadly, seemingly lost in thought.

She could not understand what she was hearing. She tried to formulate a response, another question, but her mouth only opened and closed with failed attempts.

"Sit down," he gently invited a second time, "I'll explain. But, remember," he turned serious, "I warned you. Things are different now, Star. A lot different."

She nodded to show she understood, sitting down and folding her hands in her lap.

"Alright, just-", he knelt down in front of her, and she awkwardly looked into the black holes of his mask, "promise you won't hate me."

She felt her face contort with confusion. "Robin," she answered gently, "I could never hate you." She smiled, but he turned his head away from her and stood up.

"We'll see," he said ominously, and the smile fell from her face.

"After you disappeared into that wormhole with Warp, we looked everywhere. For months we scoured the city, the county, the state. We contacted everyone we knew, organized search parties. I even called in a Batman favor," he said with added grandeur, as if that one statement explained the gravity of the situation. "But, we couldn't find you. After a few years, we just sort of assumed…" he trailed off, turning toward her.

She nodded to confirm she knew what he meant, and he seemed relieved that he did not have to say it.

"We were…boxing up your room," he voice faltered slightly, "when we found the..._stuff_ in the back of your closet."

She gasped, a hand smacking over her mouth with a clap. She thought of Robin, her Robin, finding that, thinking she was dead. The betrayal he must have felt.

"Robin," she began to explain, but he raised a hand to stop her.

"Just, let me get through this, okay?" he implored.

She closed her mouth and nodded, the guilt making her insides squirm.

"So, we found…_that_, and, when we opened it," his hands clenched into fists, "_he_ was there." Robin spat the word as if it were poison, making Starfire wince.

"He said he wanted to meet us, all of us. Said he would explain everything. And, when we got there," his voice dropped, "he did."

Starfire trembled, imagining how angry he must have been at her.

"He told us about that day with the Chronoton Detonator, about the nanobots, about how he blackmailed you, everything." His voice was getting frantic, his movements frenzied.

"And then- then he told us that he sent you after the clock. He told you to keep it from Warp. It was his fault. All of it!" he shouted, making Starfire jump.

"He- HE KILLED YOU!," he screamed, kicking over a nearby chair. He then stilled and fell silent, breathing heavily.

"I- I lost it, Star…" he continued, his voice soft and broken now. "I could've saved you. I could've stopped him. But I- I failed you. I let him-" he faded off, unable to say it again. "If I had been more decisive, if I had stopped him when I had the chance-"

"Robin," she interrupted, a fearful suspicion growing in her mind. "What- What did you do?" She had not intended it to come out as accusatory, but she could not keep her suspicion out of her voice.

He was still for a moment, his back rising and falling with a deep, steeling breath, before turning to face her, his body straight and tall.

"I had failed you as a hero," he concluded, "so I stopped being one."

She felt her brain go numb, unable to believe what she was hearing. Robin, her Robin. He would not. He could not.

"Ro-Robin," she stammered, shaking her head, "you- you did not… Robin?" She was pleading, willing it not to be true.

"I killed him," he confirmed, his voice like ice. "Killed him like the rat he was."

She shook her head violently now, her hands coming up to her ears as tears streamed down her face, but she could not block out his voice.

"The others…they couldn't accept that, couldn't understand. They rejected me, so I became Red X, enemy of The Teen Titans. At least, until they disbanded and moved aw-."

"No, no, NO!" she shrieked hysterically as she leapt up from her chair, unable to look at the watery figure in front of her. "You would not do such a thing! My Robin would not do this! You are a liar, an imposter!"

"Starfire, calm down!" He moved toward her, hands outstretched toward her shoulders, but she roughly pushed him away.

"DO NOT TOUCH ME!" Her throat felt like it was ripping in half as she screamed through the sobs. "Where is Robin? What have you done with him? WHERE IS ROBIN!?"

"Dammit, Starfire!" he shouted back at her, his deep voice echoing off the metal walls. "Don't you understand? I _am _Robin! _I _looked for you, _I_ cried for you, _I _lost you, and _I_ killed the man that took you from me!"

She cowered under his fury, collapsing back into the chair and pulling her knees up under her chin.

"He _killed_ you, Star. He killed you, and I- I never got to-" he choked, turning his back to her.

Starfire was furious and astoundingly hurt, but what she heard in Robin's voice just then broke through that somewhat. He was…crying? She would swear he was, but, when he turned back to her, all traces of it were gone from his demeanor.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, "I shouldn't have told you." He walked over to one of the computers. "We should be focusing on getting you back." He hit a few keys and the screens burst to life, various maps appearing.

Several minutes of silence passed, Starfire breathing deeply into her knees. Her eyes were closed as she tried to process what she had heard. She could not believe her Robin would do those things. She could not believe her friends would turn on him. She could not believe the one event of her disappearance had caused so much to unravel.

Her head jolted up, hope rising in her chest.

"That is the solution!" she cried, and Robin spun around in his chair.

"What?" he answered, startled and obviously confused.

"If we can find a way to return me," she rose from the chair and walked over to stand beside him, "we can ensure none of this ever happens. We can change our future!"

She pulled Warp's button from her belt, holding it out to the still-masked man in front of her. "I removed this from Warp's suit. I believe it is why I am only ten years into the future as opposed to the hundred Warp intended to travel. It is badly damaged," she said regretfully, dropping the device into his outstretched hand, "but, perhaps, if we can repair it…"

"I think I know just the man for the job," and she heard the smile in his voice.

He rose from the chair, walking over to a different section of the computer-covered wall.

"I held onto this," he said quietly, hitting a button in front of him, "just in case."

A panel of metal in the console in front of him slid back, and from the opening emerged a Titan communicator.

Starfire smiled at the sight, her hand automatically reaching down to slide her fingers against her own communicator.

Robin took the communicator from its stand, dialing a number from memory. He then held it out in front of his face, awaiting an answer.

"Yo, man, I _told_ you, you can't just call me up out of the blue! What if I was with-"

"Nice to see you too," Robin interrupted, and Starfire heard a grumble of response that was unmistakably-

"Cyborg?" she asked, stepping forward curiously.

"Um…Robin?" she heard Cyborg inquire nervously.

"Yes, Cyborg?" Robin answered in a cocky, knowing sort of way.

"Are you watching home movies or something in there? Because, dude, I gotta tell you, that is just plain-"

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Robin interrupted angrily, turning the communicator around.

"Cyborg!" Starfire exclaimed, floating over to the communicator that displayed her friend's face. "It is glorious to see you!"

"Star?" he whispered, leaning so close to the screen, only his eyes were visible. "Is that really you?"

She nodded excitedly. "Indeed, friend! I have-" but Robin interrupted her by turning the communicator back to face him, ignoring her dejected pout.

"She ripped this off of Warp's suit," he raised the device into view. "It's what he used to create the portal. We think we can use it to send her back, but we need your-"

"On my way. The usual place?" Cyborg probed, his tone earnest.

"The usual place," Robin affirmed with a nod, and Starfire heard the beep signaling the call had concluded.

"Shall we go?" Starfire prodded, eager to return to her friends.

"Not yet," he replied, his fingers already dialing another number. "We have a few more calls to make."

…

Starfire paced across the concrete floor, the abandoned warehouse echoing with her steps.

"You could sit you know," Robin suggested for the eighth time, tapping next to him on the pile of plywood he was perched on. He had removed the Red X mask, replacing it with a slightly different version of his Robin one, so she could clearly see the smirk on his face.

"I am still angry at you," she scolded. "You are still very much in the house for dogs!"

He laughed so hard, he nearly fell off his makeshift seat. "I forgot how funny you were," he wheezed through fading laughs.

She glowered down at him. "I am not intending to be humorous," she said flatly.

"No, of course not," he said quickly, clearing his throat. "Sorry," he added, and she nodded to accept the apology.

"Seriously though, could you sit down for a second? There's…something I need to say."

She stopped her pacing, her eyes narrowing apprehensively.

"No new bombshells, I promise," he assured, placing his right hand over his heart.

Not without trepidation, she settled down on the plywood next to him, making sure none of her bare skin was touching the splintered surface.

"There's something that's...haunted me, ever since you disappeared," he began, his head turned away from her. "Do you remember- well, of course you do, it was this morning." He chuckled at himself, and Starfire could not help but smile faintly as well.

"Ya know that- that fight we had?" he hesitated, his fingers twisting around one another in his lap.

"I believe two parties are required to participate in order for it to be considered a fight," she snipped bitterly. "But, yes," she let the anger fade from her voice, "I know what it is you are referring to."

"Right…" he acknowledged uncomfortably. "Well, I just wanted to say-"

"Robin?" came a low hiss from the opposite side of the warehouse.

"Over here," he whispered with mock urgency, and the way his head inclined toward her, she could tell he had winked.

She barely suppressed a giggle at the anticipation, rising from the planks to stand beside him.

"Where?" The voice drifted over to them from somewhere in the darkness.

"Rob?" Another voice broke in, also whispering.

"What?" the first voice answered, obviously confused.

"Who's there?" the second visitor demanded.

"Robin, this isn't funny," the first person grumbled.

"Robin, you in here?" cut in an entirely new, third voice.

"Okay, what the h-" but the owner of the second voice, now at a normal volume and full of frustration, fell silent as the main warehouse lights came on.

Robin leaned against the wall next to her, one hand on the light switch and a coy grin on his face. She stood beside him, trying to exude the same level of smugness.

"Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy," he listed, in order of appearance, as he inclined his head to each of them. "Long time no see. Well," he amended, pushing off the wall, "not together, anyway."

"You said you were going shopping!" Beast Boy fumed, pointing accusatorily.

"And you believed that?" Raven goaded in an obvious attempt to distract his condemnation. "Besides, _you_ said you were going to the movies with Cyborg!" She pointed back at him, redirecting guilt.

"Woah, B, not cool," Cyborg admonished. "You can't lie to your-"

"Hem-hem!" Robin interjected pointedly, shooting Starfire a sidelong glance.

The three new arrivals fell silent at the sight of her, all arguments seemingly forgotten.

"We have much more important things to worry about at the moment," Robin continued, walking toward the threesome, Starfire following him dutifully.

"And, for the record," he added, a smile dancing at the corners of his lips, "you're all filthy, rotten liars."

A three-tone chorus of objections broke out, forcing Robin to shout over the din.

"Hey! HEY!" he bellowed, and the group fell silent. "Don't even try and deny it. You all kept in contact with me, and you _all_ lied about it," he expatiated. "Now, if you three don't mind," he condescended, "I'd like to try and rewrite some history." He folded his arms over his chest, staring them down.

Her future friends guiltily avoided one another's eyes before grumbling to a tentative truce.

"Now, Cyborg," Robin began, revealing the piece of Warp's suit, "what can you do with this?"

"Work miracles," he answered confidently, grabbing the circular device out of Robin's hand and beginning to examine it immediately.

"Raven, Starfire thinks Warp might have landed in this time period too. Do you think you could-"

"Whoa, hang on a second!" Beast Boy railed, pushing himself into the center of the group. "I get that we have to get down to business here, but aren't we forgetting something?"

The three Titans in front of her exchanged knowing glances, and that was the last thing she saw before she was entirely enveloped in bodies.

"EEEEP!" she squealed, the sound smothered by what she thought was Raven's shoulder. "Friends, please!" she pleaded, wriggling uselessly in the pile. "It is difficult to respire in this position," she wheezed.

"Sorry, little lady," Cyborg winked, releasing her.

"We just missed you is all," Beast Boy added, grinning at her as he pulled away.

Raven, however, did not remove her arms from around Starfire's neck.

"Raven?" Starfire inquired, but her friend did not reply.

"Raven?" she reiterated, her concern growing, and she attempted to shift positions so as to see Raven's face. As she did so, a small sniffle emanated from the girl, and everyone froze.

"Raven…" Beast Boy breathed, his mouth agape, "are you…crying?"

"No," she whimpered, her voice muffled by Starfire's shoulder.

"Raven," the shape-shifter insisted, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

At his touch, her head rose up, and Starfire caught a glimpse of her friend's slightly older, glistening, violet eyes.

"Oh, Raven!" she blurted, gripping the girl anew and squeezing her tightly, tears welling up in her own eyes.

"Starfire!" Raven puffed weakly, tapping her shoulder.

"Oh, my apologies!" She lowered the girl back to the ground, and they exchanged small smiles before Raven returned to her position at Beast Boy's side.

"Told you she had a heart," Beast Boy jested, elbowing Cyborg gently in the side.

Raven responded with a smack to the back of his head, but it did not appear to be as forceful as the ones Starfire was used to seeing.

She eyed the pair curiously, her mouth opening to question, but she was interrupted by a loud explosion over their heads.

Before she could even look up, she was on the ground several feet away, Robin hovering over her protectively.

"The Teen Titans, together again," a gruff, male voice scoffed.

Robin rolled off to the side, staff unfolding as he rose up in an attack position.

"Pity it's the last time!" Warp cried, sending a blast of electricity toward Raven, who deflected it with her own, black energy.

"Give me the component you stole, girl!" he demanded, pointing a closed fist at Starfire, who still lay sprawled on the ground.

She raised an arm in front of her face protectively as Warp's hand glowed white.

"Over my dead body," Robin growled, stepping in front of her.

"If you insist," Warp granted, firing a blast toward them.

Still wearing his Red X suit, Robin shot a large, sticky "X" back at him.

"AGH!" Warp cried, quickly creating a shield as Robin's attack pushed his explosion back toward him.

"Ha!" he called triumphantly. "You still cannot defeat me, boy," he brandished the gold clock in his hand to illustrate his point. "I am Warp, Master of Time-AH!" he yelped as a green gorilla tackled him to the ground.

"Cyborg!" Robin yelled, rushing forward to join the fray.

"I almost got it!" the half-robot called back, working with the blowtorch contained in his index finger.

"Well, hurry!" Robin dodged a flying Beast Boy and hit Warp with his staff, metal sparking on metal. He then jumped out of the way as Raven's black band of energy shot past him.

Starfire rose up from the floor, eyes glowing as she launched herself forward. She caught Warp mid-air as he was blasted back by Raven's energy. Whirling him around with a cry, she flung him into the ground, the concrete cracking where he landed. She fired starbolts as soon as he landed, hoping to make contact before he enabled his shields.

All the Titans froze, watching the cloud of dust clear. When it did, however, there was no Warp to be revealed. All that remained of him was an empty suit, crackling with electricity, and the golden clock sitting neatly beside it.

"What-" Starfire began to ask, lowering herself to the ground beside the gathering group, when a loud _-crack-_ interrupted her.

Above Warp's destroyed suit, a portal had opened; the black void glowing white around the edges.

"Cyborg!" Robin called over his shoulder.

"BOOYAH!" came Cyborg's enthused reply, and a blast of blue came rocketing past them into the portal. "I'm reconfiguring the wormhole," he explained, hitting buttons on his arm. "It should take you back, but I can't keep it open for long."

Robin rushed past her, grabbing a wrist to drag her along with him as he ran to the portal, scooping the clock up as they went.

"Here," he said earnestly, placing the clock in her hand.

"Robin, wait!" She grabbed his wrist to keep him there. "What were you going to tell me?"

"Starfire," he hissed, impatient, "there isn't time."

"Speak with haste," she challenged.

"Ugh, you're impossible! Fine!" he stammered rapidly, throwing his hands up in defeat before hurriedly continuing. "I'm sorry. I hated myself for those being the last words I ever said to you, and past me probably won't apologize for it, but I want you to know that I'm sorry," he finished, panting.

"Why have you been acting the strange lately?" she spoke equally fast.

"Star, seriously?!" he pleaded, exasperated. "Look," he sighed at her resolute glare, "I can't tell you that. It could affect the past. All I can tell you is I'm working very hard to protect you the only way I know how."

"Being a clorbag valblernek," she qualified.

"What? Sure, yes, let's go with that," he rambled. "Now go!" He pushed her backward toward the portal.

"Robin-"

"My favorite color is green!" he mockingly anticipated.

"What will become of you if you do not turn into the Red X?" she asked, completely ignoring his outburst.

"I don't _know_, Star," he moaned, fingers kneading his forehead. "My plan was to eventually go solo and dump the Robin persona."

"What person would you adopt instead?" she inquired, feeling a slight satisfaction at his weakening resolve.

"Nightwing, okay!?" he shouted again, proving her wrong. "I like the name Nightwing! Now, GO!"

"I can't hold it!" Cyborg yelled, and Robin frantically twisted his head back to look at him before turning back to her.

"Robin-"

"OH, FOR CRYING OUT- WHAT!?" He was practically screaming in her face now, but she simply smiled up at him.

"I am fond of Nightwing as well"

And, with that, she stepped through the portal, smiling softly at his gaping expression before it all swirled to black.

"STARFIRE!"

She looked up from the clock clutched in her arms to see Robin, her Robin, kneeling in front of her.

"Robin?" she asked weakly, gazing up at him.

"Star?" he answered, his voice full of worry.

"Is your favorite color really green?"

"Huh?" he mumbled, and she was once again giggling at his bemused expression.

...

"And then, Nightwing gave me the clock and I entered the portal," she concluded her highly-edited story.

Her friends' faces were all inches away from hers, as they had slowly leaned further and further in during the course of her retelling.

"Woooooah," Beast Boy droned, dazed.

"You said it," Cyborg affirmed, rising up off the couch. "So, who wants pizza?" he beckoned cheerily, abruptly changing gears.

Beast Boy's stomach grumbled loudly. "Count me in!" and he leapt off the back of the couch to follow Cyborg.

Raven simply shrugged and floated off after them.

Starfire rose to follow, suddenly realizing how hungry she was, when a light pressure on her wrist stilled the movement.

"Star," Robin started softly, and she settled back onto the couch next to him. "About…earlier, I- I didn't mean to- I've been really busy and I haven't been sleeping and- Well, I just-"

"It is okay, Robin," she comforted, placing a hand over his on the couch. "I believe I understand. There is no need to apologize."

He looked at her quizzically, but did not press the issue further. Rising up off the couch, and offering her a helping hand, he headed toward the door as Starfire walked beside him.

"So," he mused, his mouth curving up into a smirk as he held the door for her, "Nightwing, huh?"


	6. A Tangled Web

_**Author's Note: **__Okay, so stuff is about to get kind of real. It's gonna get MUCH MORE REAL nearer the end of this 14-chapter series, but it gets pretty real in these next two chapters. I just want you guys to be warned._

_Both this chapter and the next take place over top of the episode "Only Human"._

_**Songs: **__"How to Be Dead" - Snow Patrol (relevant pretty much the whole way through)_

**_Don't forget that the songs and other info about the fics is posted on my Tumblr (see the link on my profile page)_**

* * *

**Chapter 6: A Tangled Web**

Starfire's eyes jolted open as she sat up, frantically looking around for what had awoken her. The room was empty, however, and her face wrinkled with confusion. She was certain something had disturbed her. The mystery was solved as the gem in her breastplate vibrated, and she groaned in response. She glanced at the clock as she rose out of bed and groaned again with renewed frustration. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she knelt in front of the closet, communicator now in hand.

"It is 2 o'clock in the morning," she reprimanded, glaring sleepily down at the image in front of her. "What could you possibly require at this hour?"

"Does it matter?" Slade challenged angrily. "I call, you answer. And it would be in your best interest not to backtalk."

She growled, not entirely understanding his terminology, but able to infer the meaning.

"What do you want?" she asked again, forcibly more gentle.

"Better," he approved before continuing. "You're going to meet me here today. It's time we got started on your training."

"Training?" she prodded, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Slade chuckled, sitting back in his chair. "Be here at noon. Wear the suit," he replied simply before the screen went black.

Starfire snapped the communicator closed and set it in the closet before throwing herself back onto the floor, her arms flailing in a silent tantrum. She froze as she heard a light rapping on her door.

"Star?" Robin murmured, his voice raspy with sleep.

She let out a quiet squeal, closing her closet doors with a panicked _-snap -_. Breathing heavily, her eyes searched the room, looking for any other indicators of her deception.

"Starfire?" He knocked again, his voice more urgent.

"I- I am approaching!" she called, grabbing the small mirror off her desk and taking a quick look.

She smoothed down a few sleep-strayed hairs and gave her cheeks a small pinch each, opening a desk drawer as she did so. She placed the mirror back down and pulled a container of mints out, popping a few into her mouth. Chewing along the way, she ran lightly toward the door. She took a deep breath to compose herself and swallowed the remaining pieces of mints before pressing her hand down on the scanner. The metal door slid open with a hiss, revealing the scowling, raven-haired boy, and Starfire felt a faint heat rise up her cheeks as she appraised him.

He stood barefoot on the hall carpet, wearing a plain, white t-shirt and light-blue boxers. His hair was slightly messy and wilted, portions of it hanging over his mask, which was the only article that remained of his uniform. His arms, bereft of gloves, were folded over his chest in a gesture of annoyance.

"Greetings, Robin!" she chirped softly, not wanting to disturb anyone else. "What is it that you require?"

"I heard voices," he grunted, his head tilting upward to look over her shoulder.

"Voices?" She tried to make her face look as perplexed as possible.

"Yes, voices," he confirmed, walking past her into the room. "Were you talking to someone?"

"Talking?" she asked again, hurrying after him to monitor his examining.

"Yes, talking," he imitated again, walking the circle around her bed, "I heard you talking."

"Oh, yes!" Starfire exclaimed, thinking quickly. "That is because today is…K'NORBLAFLAK!" she invented enthusiastically.

"K'Norba- What?" Robin remarked, turning to look at her with forehead furrowed.

"K'Norblaflak," she expounded, "the Tamaranean day dedicated to…talking to one's self!"

Robin crossed his arms again, his mouth a thin line.

"Robin is looking quite the grumpy, is he not, Starfire?" she argued. "Why, yes, Starfire, he is," she carried on, answering herself in a slightly higher tone. "Perhaps he is in need of more of the sleep." She smiled at her jest, but his expression never wavered.

"This is only one day a year, right?" he asked dryly.

"Yes," she answered tentatively, her smile flickering out.

"Good," he snipped, walking past her and back toward the door. "Night," he called stonily, his back to her as he raised a hand in goodbye.

"Pleasant schlor-" the metal door thudded shut behind him, "-vaks…"

She sighed heavily, hanging her head and letting her raised arm drop limply to her side. She drooped down onto the bed, her elbows on her knees as she held her head in her hands. With a groan of confusion, she flung her body backward, bouncing slightly on the pink sheets before coming to rest. She closed her eyes, but knew she was not likely to sleep. Her mind was too full of worry: worry about Slade, worry for Robin. He had not been acting normally since that day he had brought her onto the roof, and he avoided any attempt by her or the others to ascertain what was troubling him. He also seemed to be treating her very differently, being unusually withdrawn and cold in whatever interactions with her he could not manage to evade. Starfire had confided this to Raven, who had insisted that it was just the way of Robin and he would overcome it soon, but Starfire was not so certain.

"Robin…" she breathed, gazing at the wall that separated their rooms. "What has happened to you?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Robin_**

"K'Norblaflak?" he muttered to himself, rummaging through a dresser drawer. "Please!" he growled as he removed the object he'd been searching for. Walking over to his desk, he placed the black laptop on the surface and opened it.

"Password," the computer asked, a green light igniting beside the built-in camera.

"Holy password, Batman," he said clearly, but broke into a snicker immediately afterward.

"You are so clever," answered a gruff, male voice as the screen flickered to life, displaying a tired man in his late thirties.

"Alfred seems to think so," he answered, nodding toward the elderly man he could see chuckling in the background.

"Evening, Master Dick," the elderly man chimed, inclining his head.

Robin was just about to reply when his grumpy mentor interrupted him.

"What do you want?"

Robin sighed, all-too-aware he'd inherited that particularly irritating Batman trait.

"You look awful," Bruce continued with uninvited concern.

"I need you to check on something for me," he avoided. "Does The Justice League have any Tamaranean contacts?"

Bruce's eyebrows rose. "Why," he pried, but Robin could hear the assumption in his tone.

"I just need some information on a tradition of theirs." He tried to sound nonchalant. "Specifically," he hesitated, knowing this would blow his cover, "if it's real."

Sure enough, Bruce leaned forward, his expression stern. "Robin," he began, and Robin could tell this was going to be an uncomfortably serious talk. "I told you to be careful. If you can't trust that girl-"

"She has a name," he interrupted curtly. He leaned closer to the screen, glaring into the camera. "And I can trust her."

"Then why are you asking?"

Robin blinked stupidly, considering.

Bruce settled back in his chair, looking pleased with himself, something Robin found infuriating.

"Look, I'm just worried, okay?" He intended to snap, but it came out weak, betraying him.

"Robin," Bruce scolded in the Batman voice to match the Batman glare, "you cannot, under any circumstances, get involved with that gi-"

"Starfire," Robin growled. "Her name is Starfire."

"Fine," Bruce conceded, "you can't get involved with _Starfire_. Getting involved with a teammate-"

"Will kill everyone, yea I know," Robin dismissed.

Bruce's glare intensified, and Robin rubbed his temples with frustration and exhaustion.

"Can you just check on it for me, please?" he pleaded, not in the mood to argue about this anymore.

"I'll see what I can do," Bruce answered, rummaging around the desk in front of him. "What's this tradition called?" he offered, pen and paper at the ready.

"K'Norblaflak," Robin replied. "It's supposed to be a day they talk to themselves or something like that," he added in response to Bruce's bewildered expression.

Bruce snorted loudly. "Oh, that is so fak-"

"Night," Robin interjected, angrily slamming the laptop closed.

He walked back to the dresser, replacing the laptop in its hiding place under his socks before sitting down on the edge of his bed. He sighed heavily, his arms dangling off his knees. As much as he hated to admit it, Bruce was right. Starfire had lied to him, he knew that. What he didn't understand was why. Did she not trust him? She could tell him anything, didn't she know that?

He groaned, remembering how he'd been treating her lately. Maybe she didn't know after all. Not that he could expect her to. It's not like he could tell her that he was barely sleeping, barely eating, barely doing anything but focusing on finding Slade.

_'He's trying to protect you the only way he knows how,' _Alfred's voice echoed in his ears.

When he was younger, he never understood why Bruce was so cold and abrasive toward him on occasion. Why he would lock himself in the batcave for days, staring at computers and barking at him every time he interrupted. But he wasn't Robin then. He didn't have anything this important to protect.

He put a hand to his face, closing his eyes and breathing into his palm. Starfire probably felt exactly like he had back then; like she had done something wrong, like he was upset with her. But, as much as he hated making her feel that way, it was for the best. Robin didn't want to give Slade any more reason to use Starfire against him, so he had to distance himself. He just had to.

He grumbled angrily, hating the fact that he now understood why Bruce was so adamantly against getting involved with teammates.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Starfire emerged from her room at around 8 that morning, intent to spend some time soaking up energy from the sun before breakfast. She lingered as she walked past Robin's room, listening intently. No sound reached her ears, and she hoped that meant he was finally getting some of the sleep.

She floated up the stairs to the roof, bursting out into the early morning sun. She inhaled deeply, breathing in the dewy air. This was her favorite time of day; just her, the sun, and the flickering light off the blue bay. She flew over to the edge of the roof, hovering a few feet above the concrete. Crossing her legs in the air, she closed her eyes and began chanting.

"Peace, quiet, tranquility… Peace, quiet, tranquility…" She intertwined her breathing with the words, inhaling and exhaling deeply with each sequence. Trying to push the fear about training out of her mind, she focused entirely on the rhythm of her breathing.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice interrupted her after awhile.

She turned in the air, her hands still resting on her knees.

"Not at all, friend Raven!" she exclaimed, her face breaking out into a grin.

The cloaked girl returned the smile, albeit much fainter. She then floated up next to Starfire, folding her legs in a similar position.

"So," Raven murmured, peering at her out of one, half-open eye, "you're up unusually early."

"I experienced trouble with the sleeping," she explained faintly.

"Oh?" Raven probed, shifting in the air so she was across from Starfire. "Any particular reason?"

Starfire bit her lip, uncertain how to proceed. "Well," she began hesitantly, "Robin did the stopping by my room last night…"

One of Raven's eyebrows rose, but she remained otherwise stoic. "Go on."

"He said he had heard the noises and came to do the checking on me," she continued, now eager to share, "and I informed him that today was simply the day of K'Norblaflak, the Tamaranean tradition of talking to one's self-"

"Say what?"

"-but he did not seem to believe me-"

"Can't imagine why."

"-and he was extremely rude and said the unkind words and did not allow me to wish him the pleasant schlorvaks!" She finished nearly yelling and breathing heavy, but she also felt somewhat relieved.

"Are you finished?" Raven asked flatly.

Starfire nodded.

"Okay," she began, folding her hands in her lap and leaning into the conversation, "first of all, K'Norblaflak?" She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow in a knowing gesture. "That can't possibly be real."

"I- It is-" Starfire stammered, very hesitant to lie to Raven as well.

"Look," Raven allowed, raising a hand to dismiss her excuses, "I don't need to know why you're lying. Your reasons are your own, and I know you well enough to know you wouldn't lie to Robin unless you had to."

Starfire smiled softly at her friend, simultaneously grateful and guilty.

"But, Starfire," Raven implored, "you have to understand, Robin knows you really well too. I'm sure he saw through your little 'festival of talking to yourself' just as easily as I did."

Starfire gulped, hoping Raven was incorrect, but also knowing she was not.

"And we all know how Robin deals with secrets…" she trailed off, any further elaboration being unnecessary. "And then there's all this stuff with Slade-" she cut off as Starfire made a small, sorrowful noise.

"He'll get over it, Starfire," Raven comforted, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling gently. "He always does. He's just going through one of his paranoid, obsessive phases right now."

"Do you truly believe so?" She looked hopefully into her friend's violet eyes.

Raven's smile grew even tenderer. "Of course I do. But, Starfire?" she added, her face growing stern to match her voice. "As long as you're still lying to him, you can't expect him to-"

"Raven, I brought your- Oh..." Robin banged through the metal door onto the roof, stopping short as he caught sight of them. "Sorry, am I…interrupting something?"

Raven's hand gave her shoulder a small squeeze before pulling her hand back into her lap.

"No, just some girl talk," Raven brushed off, sounding completely sincere. "Is that my tea?"

Robin frowned at her blatant redirect, but walked over to them all the same, looking rather out of place holding a steaming Styrofoam cup.

"Here," he grumbled, thrusting it up into Raven's waiting hands.

"Good morning, Robin. I trust you slept…" she trailed off as he walked away without any indication he had even noticed she was there.

She winced as he slammed the metal door behind him, wobbling in the air, her flight unsteady. A forlorn whimper escaped her as she hung her head, and Raven's hand was immediately back on her shoulder. She looked up to see a warm smile on her friend's blurry face.

"You wanna meditate some more?" she inquired gently.

"No," Starfire answered with a sniff, lowering herself to stand on the ground. "I am not feeling much of the peace, quiet, or tranquility any longer. Thank you for the talk, Raven," she mumbled, walking across the roof and into the stairwell.

By the time she reached the living room, she had composed herself enough to reduce the burning in her eyes to a low simmer. All the same, she hoped that she could obtain the breakfast without there being a need to talk with anyone.

It did not seem as if this would be incredibly difficult. Cyborg was sitting on the couch playing one of the video games, yelling loudly at the screen.

"Awwww yeah! Take that! And that! BOOYAH!" he shouted, his arms swooping in front of him as if he were driving a motor vehicle.

Starfire smiled lightly at his enthusiasm, but he did not appear to notice her walk behind him to the kitchen. She let out a small sigh of relief as she noticed that Beast Boy and Robin were not present, and opened the food-cooling box. Pulling out one of the yogurts of blueberry, she gently closed the door with only the slightest rattling of bottles in the door compartments. As she turned to head back to her room, she found her way blocked by a cross-armed, glowering-

"Robin!" she started, a hand jumping to her chest. "You alarmed me! I did not hear you approaching."

"Guess I'm just sneaky like that," he hissed, planting a hand on either side of the walkway, effectively blocking that exit.

"I- I suppose so…" She shuffled backward slightly, unnerved.

He took a step forward, closing the distance she sought to create. "But, then," he whispered, "I'm not the only one. Am I, _K'Norblaflak_?" He leaned in abruptly, snarling the question threateningly.

Her yogurt clattered to the floor between them, splattering the cabinets as she scrambled backwards, eyes wide with fear.

"Yo, guys?" came Cyborg's oblivious call from the couch. "You wanna watch me kick this Atlas guy's butt?"

Starfire turned around to look at him, her pulse pounding in her ears.

His face wrinkled with concern. "You okay, Star? You look kinda pale."

"I- I am-" She looked back at Robin, who was leaning against the counter, his arms crossed innocently.

Still reeling, her voice shook as she spoke. "I am fine, Cyborg. Thank you for your concern."

"Ya sure?" He rose from his seat, making to move toward her.

"Yes, thank you, I am certain." She dodged around the counter, making her way out of the room as quickly as possible.

She leaned against the door as it closed behind her, panting heavily. As her pulse slowly returned to normal, she heard voices drifting in from the room she had just vacated.

"Did you do something?" Cyborg accused.

"No," Robin lied.

"You sure, man? She looked kinda…well, scared," Cyborg finished softly.

"Scared?" Robin said it so softly, Starfire could barely hear him.

She heard Cyborg's heavy footsteps traversing across the floor.

"Ya know, man," Cyborg said gently, "you don't have to be like him."

There was a moment's silence, and Starfire pressed her ear against the metal.

"I'm not," Robin growled, his tone low and dangerous, and she could tell his voice was moving toward the door.

"You sure?" Cyborg challenged loudly, and Starfire headed to her room to avoid being caught when Robin reached the door.

She spent the next hour in her room trying to keep herself from getting too nervous, both about Slade and Robin. At about 11:30 she poked her head out of her door, making sure the hallway was deserted -or at least bereft of Robin- before proceeding. She floated down to Raven's room and rapped softly on the door, which quickly slid open.

"Hello, Raven!" she tried to push cheerfulness into her voice. "I am going to journey to the mall of shopping and I was wondering if you would wish to accompany me."

"No, thanks," she replied, her eyes suspicious.

"As you wish! I shall see you later." She waved and flew back toward her room, hoping she sounded nonchalant enough.

Placing her hand on the door panel of her room to lock it, she went into the closet and removed her suit and communicator. This was the part she had been dreading. She took off her breastplate, placing it upside-down in a drawer of her desk just to be safe, before removing the rest of her usual uniform. Sliding the new, black suit over her undergarments, she discovered that it fit perfectly. Trying not to think about how Slade got the measurements right, she wandered over to the full-length mirror that was positioned against the wall. She gasped as she first caught sight of herself, staggering back from the mirror.

Somehow, it was much different seeing the suit on her person rather than holding it in her hands. The black, leather-like fabric clung to her body, the metal panels down her arms and legs glinting in the afternoon sunlight. Her eyes fell to the orange insignia on her chest, and she brushed it lightly with her fingertips before looking back up into her own face. Sparkling green eyes looked back at her, and she was forced to look away before the sadness overwhelmed her.

She clipped the black and orange communicator to her new utility belt and packed her original uniform into a backpack, intending to find somewhere to change before returning to the tower. She pushed her arms through the backpack straps and walked toward the window, opening it in preparation for her departure. She was halfway out when a knock on her door pulled her back.

"Um, Starfire?"

Her heart pumped in her throat as she heard Robin's voice. She sunk back to the ground, her arms wrapping around herself self-consciously as her eyes welled up with tears. What would he think of her if he could see her now?

"Star?" He rapped heavier on the door.

"I am here," she answered as flatly as possible, moving across the room to stand just in front of the door.

"Oh," he replied, sounding embarrassed. There were several moments of silence before he continued. "Uh, can I come in?"

"You may not." Her tone was cold as she remembered the incident in the kitchen.

"Please? I just want to talk," he pleaded, and she heard the slight thud of him leaning against the door.

"I do not wish to hear what it is you have to say," she snapped icily, folding her arms and glaring at the area of the door his voice was coming from.

"Starfire, please. I-I didn't mean to-"

"You never mean to, Robin!" she raged, eyes glowing green at the door. "You are always the tired or the hungry or the worried and this is supposed to make such behavior acceptable, but it does not!"

She was pacing back and forth in front of the door, hands flailing in furious gesticulations. "I have grown tired of hearing the same excuses repeatedly, so, if you have nothing further to say to me, I wish for you to leave."

He let out a frustrated sigh, and there was another thud as Starfire assumed he landed a fist on the door.

"Fine!" he shot back at her, and she could feel his heavy stomps through the floor as he retreated down the hallway.

She stood there for a moment, listening to his door slide open and closed and fighting back the sobs that threatened to overwhelm her. She did not have time for such weakness now. Walking back across her room, she floated out the window and headed quickly toward the city.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Robin_**

"Unbelievable!" Robin raged as soon as the door closed behind him. He had only wanted to talk, apologize even. But no, she had to be all...

"Ugh!" he grunted, frustrated, as he flopped face-down on the bed.

He hadn't meant to scare her. He hadn't meant to be a jerk.

_'You never mean to, Robin!'_ Starfire's words came unbidden into his mind. _'I have grown tired of hearing the same excuses repeatedly...'_

He hadn't realized until she'd mentioned it just how bad he was about that. And then what Cyborg said, about him being like-… He really shouldn't have gone at her like that in the kitchen. Even if he had just heard back from Bruce about K'Norblaflak being a complete lie, he was still way out of line.

He groaned into the blankets, pounding a fist onto the mattress in self-loathing.

Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe it was wrong to distance himself, to avoid her, to push her away. Maybe he should just talk to her. Maybe he was wrong.

Just as that forbidden thought crossed his mind, the siren went off. He sat up so fast, his mask nearly fell off. Bolting out the door, he nearly ran into Cyborg and Beast Boy, who were already gathered in the hallway.

"What's going on?" he demanded in his best I-totally-wasn't-just-having-an-identity-crisis voice as Raven appeared behind him.

Cyborg was frantic, screaming with flailing arms. "Ya know that Atlas guy I whooped earlier? Well he wants a rematch. And I don't think he's planning on using controllers!"

"Let's go!" Robin commanded, setting off down the hallways. "Wait," he stopped, causing Beast Boy to run into the back of him. "Where's Starfire?"

The Titans all exchanged glances to confirm nobody knew, and then shrugged in unison.

He sprinted back down the hallway to her room and pounded on the door.

"Star, we got trouble!" he beckoned.

She did not answer his call, nor did he hear any movement in her room.

"Star?!" he called again, his knocking impatient.

"She said she was going to the mall," Raven supplied.

Robin grumbled, whipping out his communicator.

"What are you doing?" Beast Boy questioned, peering around his arm to see.

"Checking," he muttered, fingers flying over the keypad.

"Uh, Robin?" Cyborg started cautiously, "Isn't that kind of an invasion of her-"

"AH-HAH!" he triumphantly interjected, flashing the communicator to the condescending group. "See!? Her communicator's in her room!"

He resumed his pounding on the door. "Starfire!? I know you're in there! Now open up!"

Still, it was silent. He checked the communicator again, confirming it was correct, before bending down on one knee in front of the panel built into the center of the door.

"Um, dude?" Beast Boy appeared at his shoulder. "I don't wanna tell ya how to do your job, but I don't think proposing is gonna-"

"I'm not proposing," he answered monotonously, knowing what was coming as he pulled tools from his belt.

"Then…what are you doing?" he continued.

Robin didn't answer, knowing they'd stop him before he could finish.

"Robin?" Raven chimed in, and he knew better than to deny her.

He pulled the front cover off, revealing the inner keypad.

"I'm overriding the lock," he explained.

"What? How?" Cyborg sputtered.

"I have a code." He knew what was coming, but he still winced.

"You WHAT!?" they all said in unison.

"Do you have one for all of our doors?" Raven asked darkly.

"Yes," he said simply, figuring honesty was really the only option at this point.

"Dude," Beast Boy breathed, "that is just so wrong."

"Hey!" Robin barked, inputting the sequence. "It's not like I'd ever use them for anything! Other than emergen-" he cut off as the door slid open in front of him.

"Starfire!" he sighed, relieved, jumping into the room. The relief was quickly replaced by panic, however, when he found her room empty.

"STARFIRE!?" he cried, frantically throwing the blankets off the bed and opening the closet for good measure.

"No…" he whispered, noticing the open window. As he was running toward it, he felt his foot hit something on the ground, sending it rocketing into the wall in front of it. He bent to pick up the communicator, black-gloved fingers brushing against the insignia.

"She probably just forgot it…" Beast Boy suggested.

"She wouldn't leave it. You know she wouldn't leave it." Robin was frantic, checking the window for signs of forced entry in spite of the fact that they were several floors up.

"There's a first time for-"

"She wouldn't forget it!" he snapped, cutting Cyborg off. "And her window's open! What if- What if she was kidnapped or something!?" He was rambling, pacing around the room and looking for some sort of indication as to what happened.

"Dude, we're seven floors up," Beast Boy attempted to comfort, but Robin was too far gone.

"What, and supervillains can't fly!?" he mocked. "She's gone! She could be anywhere! We have to look for her, we have to-"

"Robin!" Raven interjected.

"I CAN'T DO THIS AGAIN!" he bellowed, the psychotic break almost audible. "I CAN'T LOSE HER!"

"I know," Raven whispered, walking toward him as if he might explode, "I know."

She placed a hand on each of his shoulder, and he had a sneaking suspicion she was calming him with her empathic abilities because his pulse slowed dramatically.

"But," she continued, her voice soft and cautious, "right now, we have to go."

He opened his mouth to argue, and then closed it again as his reason slowly came back to him.

"I'm sure Starfire is fine. If anything had…" she trailed off and he looked up at her desperately, "_happened_ to her, I'd be able to sense that."

"Can you sense where she is?" he asked hopefully.

She shook her head mournfully. "It doesn't work that way. I can't just connect if she doesn't want me in, and even then I can't do it if she's too far away."

"What, she's too far away!?" he blurted.

"No, Robin, I didn't say that!" she corrected forcefully. "All I can tell you is she's fine. And that, right now, we have to go."

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, once in and out. "Okay," he whispered, opening his eyes and stepping back from Raven's grasp.

"Titans?" he looked around at the group, trying to assure them he was back in control of himself. "Go."


	7. Unraveling

_**Author's Note: **__Stuff is gonna get even more real now. Really really real._

_Both this chapter and the next take place over top of the episode "Only Human"._

_**Songs: **__"Little Earthquakes" - Tori Amos (relevant from when Starfire gets back to her room)_

**_Don't forget that the songs and other info about the fics is posted on my Tumblr (see the link on my profile page)_**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Unraveling**

It did not take her very long to weave her way through the sewers with the communicator to guide her, and, before she knew it, she was at a large, metal door. The symbol on the door made it obvious she was in the correct place, and she raised a hand to knock, her hands shaking as she went.

The door opened before she had even touched it, and she flew back to the wall of the tunnel behind her in alarm. Looking out into the dark room beyond the creaking, metal doors, she saw a dim, reddish light creating strange shadows on the floor as it passed through the machinery. Straight ahead of her, silhouetted against the back wall of the cavern, was a large, dark figure.

"Early," the man praised, walking toward her. "I do so appreciate punctuality."

Starfire suppressed a growl in the back of her throat and stood up straight, slightly embarrassed by her cowardly reaction.

"I see the suit fits," the man said smugly. "Black's a good color on you." Slade reached the opening of the door, arms folded across his chest smugly.

Starfire shuddered at his pose, ashamed of who it reminded her of.

"Very impressive, by the way: Establishing an alibi by asking Raven to come with you when you knew she would refuse."

She moved toward him, glaring, but did not respond, not entirely trusting herself to speak.

"What, no time for pleasantries?"

She snarled viciously up at him.

"Very well," he shrugged, turning back toward the door, "Follow me."

Starfire obliged, walking several steps back from the man. She jumped as the door closed behind her, her heart thumping erratically.

"There's no need to be afraid," Slade mocked, waiting ahead of her in a large, open section of the cavern. "If I wanted to hurt you, I would have already."

"I am not afraid," she growled as she grew level with him, her fists clenched.

"Really?" he quipped, leaning down to her. "Because your heart rate says differently."

Her face wrinkled in confusion, and he laughed in response.

"You forget that suit monitors everything," he explained haughtily, looking at some sort of screen on his arm. "Your heart rate is elevated, as are your adrenaline and cortisol levels," he elaborated, pecking at various buttons.

Starfire recoiled, feeling somewhat violated.

Slade laughed softly. "Now," he began, business-like, "we'd best get started. We have a lot of work to do."

The tone of his voice made her hair stand on end, but she managed to keep the fear out of her voice. "What are we to do?"

"I've been watching you for quite some time now," he started, hitting a button on his arm console.

Immediately, videos of them in battle appeared on the screens behind him. Starfire noticed she appeared much more than any of the other Titans, the camera even focusing in on her in some cases.

"How did you-"

"I told you," he interrupted harshly, "I see everything." He leaned down into her face, his dark gaze boring into her eyes. "Don't forget that," he added menacingly.

Starfire gulped in response, and Slade leaned back to continue.

"I've noticed several things. Several…weaknesses," he lowered his voice to a threatening hiss. "You, however," he clicked another button and the scenes changed to consist only of Starfire's attacks, "hold back, curb your power, restrain yourself." Another button and the screens went dark, plunging the room into blackness.

Starfire blinked furiously, her eyes trying to adjust to the sudden change in visibility.

"I have no use for you restrained," a low voice came from the darkness in front of her, "so I want to change that."

Light blared into life all around her, stark and white, and Starfire cried out in pain.

"Wh-Wha…" she trailed off, her hand stretched across her forehead to shield her eyes.

She gasped, dodging to the left as something large crashed into the floor where she had just been standing. She looked up to see a massive, metal robot glinting in the light.

"What are you doing?!" she shrieked.

"Attack!" he ordered.

She lifted into the air as the robot lunged at her again, causing it to run underneath her.

"I do not wish to fight," she called down to Slade, her hands rising in a gesture of surrender.

"I didn't ask," Slade snarled, and he hit a button on his arm.

The robot, assumedly in response, whirled around and fired a blue beam out of his hand.

It hit Starfire square in the chest, sending a horribly painful electric shock through her body. She slammed into the ground with a grunt, every muscle aching. She did not have much time to secure her breath, however, before she had to roll quickly to the right to avoid another huge, metal hand. She flew upward, hands igniting as she went, before diving back down toward the robot and rapidly firing starbolts. She gasped as the robot turned on her again, completely undamaged by her attack.

"You will have to do better than that!" Slade warned, hitting another button on his arm.

The robot raised a hand toward her, firing a glowing, blue net. It caught her, electrocuting her the same way the blue beam had, and she fell to the floor once again. She looked up to see the robot approaching, huge, metal feet vibrating the floor beneath her.

"AAAGH!" she cried, ripping through the net with energy-wrapped hands. She felt her eyes glowing green as she rose into the air, intensifying the energy she held. She fired again, aiming for the monster's chest.

The robot staggered back slightly at the blows, but was otherwise unharmed.

"Stop holding back!" Slade raged.

She turned toward him in the air, planning to give him one of the pieces of her mind, when the breath was pushed from her lungs. A cold, metal hand encased her, pinning her hands to her sides. She screamed as the robot squeezed; the pressure so intense, she was unable to breathe.

"S-Slade," she gasped, wriggling pointlessly, "Stop!"

"No," he snarled, his voice like ice. "Fight. Fight or die!"

Fury boiled up inside of her, and she wriggled violently in the robot's grip.

"Let me go!" she shouted, feeling her energy building up. "LET- ME- GO!"

The energy released in a fiery ball of green, shooting out from her in every direction. The hand disintegrated, chunks of fiery red steel littering the floor. Her hands blazed as she dove forward, driving her entire body through the robot's chest. She righted herself in the air on the other side, turning to attack again. She quickly realized, however, that this was unnecessary.

For a moment, she saw Slade applauding through the searing hole in the robot's chest before the monster collapsed in a heap, rattling the room. She hovered there for a moment, trembling as she regained control of the energy coursing through her. Slade's applause continued to throb in her ears as she turned and sunk to the floor, breathing heavily.

"Well done," he extolled, his metal boots clicking closer behind her. "I knew you had it in you," he added smugly, placing a firm hand on her shoulder.

She twisted away from him, hands and eyes blazing as she rounded on him.

"Do not touch me!" she screamed, her eyes stinging.

"Or…what?" he taunted, moving toward her.

"Stay back!" She stepped backward with each advance of his, holding her hands out toward him. "I SAID STAY BACK!" she screamed again when he did not stop.

"What are you going to do?" he mocked, continuing to progress.

"I- I will-" She blinked back tears, her hands flickering.

He grabbed one of her wrists and forcibly lowered her arm, the green glow extinguishing.

"You won't do a thing," he spat into her face. "You can't do a thing. You're _mine_!" he hissed.

Quiet tears flowed from her eyes as she stared at his chest, unable to look him in the eye.

"If I tell you to come, you will come. If I tell you to fight, you will fight. If I tell you to kill, you-"

"No," she interrupted, low and stern.

"What?" Slade growled, pushing his face into hers.

"No," she reiterated, raising her eyes to his, "I will not kill for you."

"If you refuse," he whispered dangerously, "then you will kill them."

She swallowed hard, feeling her eyes widen.

Slade snickered, pulling away from her.

"We're done for the day," he said casually, walking away as if nothing had happened.

She clenched her fists at his retreating back, breathing deeply. After a few moments, the anger dissipated enough that she was able to fly out the door -which opened upon her approach- and head back into the sewers.

…

She slipped into the window of her room, careful not to snag her backpack, and landed neatly on the carpet. She paused for a moment, listening, but only the sound of the television in the living room greeted her ears. Everything appeared to be normal. That is, until she looked around her room.

Her sheets were strewn across the floor and the closet was open, one door completely off the rails and sticking out at a broken angle. She dropped her backpack off her shoulders, sitting it against the wall behind her, and went in further to investigate.

"What has happened?" she whispered to the room. She had not expected to get an answer.

"Funny," hissed a voice from the corner behind her, "I was about to ask the same thing."

She whirled around, heart palpitating wildly, to find Robin leaning against the wall in the shadows. He would have been right next to her when she entered the window; how had she not noticed?

He pushed off the wall and slowly stepped toward her, the light creeping upward from his boots. When it reached his face, she saw clearly his venomous expression, somehow made all the more frightening by his mask. He stood there, silent and still, the cape hanging down behind him giving the impression of some malevolent phantom moreover than her friend.

"Ro-Robin?" she questioned fearfully, taking a small step backward.

"Where were you?" His voice was empty and cold.

Her mouth went dry and she fought to keep her eyes from flicking to her backpack, knowing he would check it if she did.

"I- I went to the mall of shopping," she stammered. "Did Raven not-"

"Don't lie to me," he interrupted gruffly, taking another step forward as she took a matching one back.

"I- I am- Robin, how did you come to be in my room?" She changed the subject hurriedly as the thought occurred to her.

"Magic," he dismissed.

"Why is everything in disarray?" she elaborated, taking a look around the room.

"Because I tore it apart looking for YOU!" he snarled, pointing at her accusatorily.

"Me?" she asked weakly, retreating from him even further. "But, I-"

"We got a call. You didn't come out," he began to explain, his voice sharp and furious. "We checked your communicator. The signal was in here. We went to look, but you _weren't_ here, so WHERE WERE YOU?!" he challenged once again.

Her eyes widened at his rage. Something was wrong. Something was dangerously wrong. The boy standing in front of her, he was not her Robin.

"I- I have already told you," she repeated, her voice trembling in time with her hands. "I was at the mall of shopping. I must have done the forgetting of my co-"

"YOU DID NOT FORGET YOUR COMMUNICATOR!" he burst, taking another several steps forward, nearly pushing her against the desk as she maintained their separation.

"Do you have ANY IDEA what that's like?" he ranted, gesticulating furiously at her. "Walking in here, finding this-" he threw her communicator at her feet "-on the floor, the window wide open? Do you know what goes through my head? Do you even have a fucking clue!?"

"R-Robin," she stammered, tears welling up in her eyes. "Robin, p-please-"

"NO!" he screamed, a shaking finger stabbing in her direction. "Don't 'Robin please' me! Not now, not anymore! You've been doing nothing but lying to me for _weeks_! Getting lost in the sewers, K'Norblaflak, 'the mall of shopping'!" He flailed his hands as he spoke, his voice getting more and more frantic.

"Robin-" she breathed, a few tears breaking loose.

"SHUT UP!" He rounded on her, his body trembling. And, just like that, her Robin was gone.

"I'm done with your excuses! I'm done with your lies! You're going to tell me what happened, and you're going to tell me NOW!"

He closed the distance between them in one, large step, grabbing her wrist roughly.

"Where were you?" he snarled through gritted teeth.

"R- Robin, you are-" she sobbed, wilting under his grasp.

"ANSWER ME!" His grip tightened around her wrist as he shook her slightly.

A hiss of pain escaped her, quickly followed by a small sob.

He froze, looking down at the hand closed around her wrist. He released it with a jolt, as if he had been burned, and stared at his own hand like he was coming out of a trance.

Starfire collapsed to the floor in a heap, sobbing uncontrollably as she rubbed her smarting wrist with the opposite hand

She saw Robin's feet stagger backward away from her as a faint, gasping sound escape him.

"Star-" he began, his voice breaking with emotion.

"Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!"

The metal door burst inward, and Starfire lifted an arm to protect herself from the blast. The debris stopped in mid-air, however, gently settling to the floor. She heard the whir of Cyborg's cannon and the growl of a large feline through the dust.

"What's going on?" Cyborg's feet appeared in her vision, slowly followed by Beast Boy's green paws.

"Star?" Beast Boy whispered, kneeling down beside her in now-human form. "Star, what ha-"

"You!"

Starfire flicked her head up at Raven's growl, just in time to see Robin, encased in black, flying into the wall across from her with a yelp.

"Raven, what are you-" Cyborg began, startled, before she cut him off.

"How _dare_ you?!" she hissed, her cape billowing out around her.

Starfire knew how Raven's powers were tied to her emotions, having used her powers once before, and, considering how angry Raven sounded, Starfire knew they were all in danger.

"R-Raven," she pleaded, "Raven, please. You must calm-"

"He hurt you!" she snapped, her hair rising around her face, her eyes glowing black.

"He _what_?!" Cyborg snarled.

She shot a desperate glance up at her robotic and green friends, who were surveying her with narrowed eyes.

Following their gaze, she realized they were looking at the hand that was still clutched around her paining wrist. She quickly ceased her wringing and let her hands fall to the floor, but it was too late.

"Oh, _hell _no!" Cyborg moved toward Robin, his eyes glazed with rage.

"Friends, please!" She scrambled to her feet, but her still-shaking knees gave out beneath her. Beast Boy swept an arm underneath her, catching her and pulling her upright, slinging her left arm over his shoulder to support her.

"I- I didn't- I couldn't-" Robin stammered, his voice strangled as he writhed against his black bonds.

"You did," Raven snarled, her hand holding the energy in place shaking.

"Raven, stop!" Starfire shrieked, knowing her friend was about to lose control, and knowing those consequences would be disastrous.

The dark-haired girl blinked rapidly, her eyes returning to violet as her hand wilted to her side.

Robin fell to the floor in a heap as the energy released him, gasping for breath on all-fours.

"Raven?" she whispered to her trembling friend.

"Are you alright?" Violet eyes turned to bore into her green ones, and Starfire wondered if Raven was looking into more than just her eyes.

"I am undamaged," she answered, trying to inject confidence into the assertion.

"You're not hurt?" Raven asked, obviously skeptical.

Starfire took a sidelong glance at Robin, who had ceased his panting to look up at her from the floor, his expression pained.

"No," she mumbled, breaking Robin's stare to look back at Raven's. "Not in the way you can help," she added solemnly.

Raven nodded ever-so-slightly, understanding. "Come on," she beckoned to Beast Boy, "you should lie down."

Beast Boy helped her over to her bed as Raven pulled the sheet back over the mattress with her powers. Two green arms lowered her onto the bed as a black-coated blanket settled on top of her. She did not normally sleep with blankets, but she appreciated something to hide under at this particular moment.

"So," Cyborg started, his eyes shifting between her two assistants, "you're alright?"

She nodded up at him.

"Robin didn't hurt you?"

She shook her head against the purple comforter.

"This is all just some big misunderstanding?"

She gave him a slow, sad nod.

"Oh…" He turned to Robin, who was standing but had not approached. "Sorry, man."

Robin merely nodded, raising a hand to signal the apology's acceptance as Cyborg turned and left.

"I'll check on you later," Raven whispered, pressing lightly on her shoulder.

"But-" Beast Boy argued, looking down at her concernedly.

"Come on," Raven coaxed, grabbing his hand lightly as she passed and giving him a soft tug toward the exit.

He glanced suspiciously between her and Raven, obviously still concerned, but followed Raven's lead. The door formed behind them, glowing pieces rising up and fusing back into place. The only evidence that remained of the confrontation was the boy she could hear emerging from the shadows behind her.

"Star?" he whispered sheepishly.

She stiffened, resolutely remaining facing the other direction.

"Star, please…" he breathed, and she could feel the pressure as he sat down on the other side of the bed.

"I- I'm sorry. I just- When we couldn't find you- And then there was this Atlas guy and we were all captured and I didn't know where you were and I- I didn't know if I'd ever…" he trailed off, leaving her to assume the rest.

"I just-" he paused, sighing heavily, "I know you've been lying to me, Star." He continued gently, the pressure creeping closer to her as he leaned forward across the bed. "I know you have. I just want to know why. What are you hiding from me?"

"Robin?" she interrupted, her voice soft and muffled by blankets.

"Yea?" he answered, his voice even closer now.

"Please go away." It was a weak demand, broken up by sniffles.

"What?" He leaned back and lifted off the bed, and she heard his footsteps walk around until she was staring at his knees. "Why?"

She closed her eyes and curled her legs up under the blanket, sobbing faintly.

"Star?" he asked, concerned, bending down to-

"Do not touch me!" she shouted for what she realized was the second time that day. Her stomach twisted as she thought about just how similar the events with Slade and Robin had unfolded. She had told Robin that he and Slade were similar before, but perhaps she had underestimated just how much. She sat up to face him, feeling the tears streaming down her face as she glared into the white of his mask.

"What?" He recoiled from her, looking completely nonplussed. "But, Star," he hesitated, moving closer to her again, "you- you said you were fine. You said-"

"I lied," she snarled. "I have been doing that quite often lately, yes?"

"Star, I didn't-" he began to explain, but then stopped short, his forehead wrinkling with thought. "You said I didn't hurt you…" he trailed off, looking at her trepidatiously.

"I did," she confirmed simply, the anger somewhat less intimidating when she had to wipe tears off her glaring face.

"So..." he faltered, wringing his hands together in front of him, "was that- was that a lie too?"

She felt her glare fall apart as she dropped her gaze to the mattress, squeezing her eyes shut and inhaling sharply mid-sob.

"Oh, god…" he wheezed. "Star? Star, I'm sorry," he appealed, kneeling beside her bed. "Star, look at me. Please?"

She obliged, lifting her head to look at his crestfallen face.

"I'm sorry," he choked, stretching a hand toward her, but seeming to think better of it because he let it fall to the mattress beside her instead. "You know, you know I would never- I never meant to- It was-"

"Robin," she interjected, lifting a hand to signal him to stop.

He closed his mouth, his lips pressed into a thin, nervous line.

"I- I do not believe sorry will suffice…" she whispered, unable to look him in the eye.

"Well then…what will?" he implored, his face pleading. "What do you want me to do? Just tell me. Whatever it is, I'll-"

"Robin," she silenced sternly, "there is nothing you can do."

His mouth opened and closed several times before he managed to create words. "But- But, Star!" he bleated, placing a hand over hers.

She shirked off his touch and shifted in the bed, moving away from him.

He leaned back, his mouth open in disbelief. After a few moments, he dropped his gaze to the floor and stood up, stepping back from her bed.

"So," he began, his voice strangled, "what- what happens now?"

"What do you mean?" she prodded, genuinely confused.

"Like, are you…leaving or- or are we…" he faded off, unable to look at her.

She sighed and his glance flicked to her nervously.

"Robin, I do not know what we are," she explained faintly, her heart breaking at the words, "but I am not intending to leave. Not unless you desire me to."

"I don't want you to go!" he cried, as if it was absurd of her to ask, but she did not think it was such a ridiculous assumption.

"Very well," she nodded, looking down at her hands, which were twisting her blankets uncomfortably.

"Uh, so," he ventured cautiously, "are we still…friends?"

She sucked in a shaky breath, steeling herself to reply. "I believe, for now, Robin," she confidently lifted her face to meet his gaze, "you are my fellow Titan. You are the leader of this team, and, in that respect, I do not believe our interactions will change."

"And in the...other respects?" he asked weakly.

She set her jaw stubbornly, not allowing herself to cry. "There are no other respects," she answered flatly.

He opened his mouth as if to argue, but quickly closed it again, his eyes dropping to the floor as he wilted. "How- how long?"

She shook her head grimly. "I do not know, Robin. I do not know if things will ever be…" she trailed off, not quite knowing how to finish.

"Starfire," he sighed softly, "please. Please don't-"

"I am in need of rest," she announced coldly, laying down and turning her back to him.

A few moment's silence passed, her silent tears dampening the sheet beneath her.

"Goodnight," he whispered, and the door slid open to permit his exit.

She waited until the door closed behind him before burrowing into the mattress so her sobs did not carry.


	8. The Only Thing We Have To Fear

_**Author's Note:**__ This is my re-imagining of the episode "Fear Itself", thus why the chapter title is the beginning of that Roosevelt quote._

_**Songs:**__ "Satellite Heart" - Anya Marina (relevant the whole way through)_

_****__Don't forget that the songs and other info about the fics is posted on my Tumblr (see the link on my profile page)_

* * *

Today was a relatively normal one for the Titans. Everyone had breakfast together, trained a bit, did the hanging out in the living room, fought the Control Freak, and were now settling down to watch a movie that Beast Boy declared would be incredibly frightening. Yes, it all seemed exceptionally normal.

But it was not. It had not been for several days now. Not for Starfire, who was currently settled on the couch beside Raven, not her usual movie-watching location. She glanced over at Robin, who was sitting between Beast Boy and Cyborg and looking more the cranky than usual. He had been like that for days; grumbling and snapping. He was doing the moping, as Raven had told her, and she supposed she could understand why.

Her and Robin's relationship had definitely not been the same since that night she tried not to think about. She did not sit beside him watching the television or eating at the place of pizza. She did not ride with him on the R-Cycle any longer, electing to fly exclusively now. She did not train with him in the training room or help him in working on his motorcycle in the garage. He did still attempt to catch her when she fell in battle, but she always righted herself before he had the chance. She imagined he had probably put together that she fell more often than truly necessary before, but he had not said anything.

Her friends also, for the most part, were ignoring the conflict. Not that they did not know it was going on, they simply did not mention it, carrying on as if everything were normal. They were obviously concerned, however. Raven had done the girl talk with her several times, and Beast Boy and Cyborg had also inquired as to her well-being more than once. She could only assume they had done the same to Robin.

She had not been bothered by Slade since their first training session, for which she was very grateful because Robin had been watching her like a large bird of prey. Not only had he fitted an alarm to her window, but he had started leaving his door open slightly during the night since their altercation, something she had not thought much of until she had gotten up to retrieve some water a couple nights ago. As she was returning to her room, she caught sight of his mask through the crack in his door before he soundlessly moved away from the opening. She had thought of confronting him about doing the spying on her, ensuring she could not leave without his knowledge, but she did not wish to talk to him. They had not spoken beyond him delivering orders and her nodding in response since the incident.

"Star? Earth to Star?"

"What?" she answered, dazed, as a green hand waved back and forth across her face.

"I _said_ do you want any popcorn?" Beast Boy offered her special bowl toward her –purple and white stripes.

"Oh," she smiled apologetically, "No, thank you."

"You sure?" Beast Boy pried, wiggling it at her. "You usually love popcorn! And this time, we have _seasonings_!"

In the corner of her eye she noted Robin get up from the couch and head into the kitchen as Beast Boy began his excited list.

"Okay, we got nacho cheddar, ranch, buffalo, salt and vin- HEY!" he interrupted, picking up the small container and staring around the room. "Who got this crap?"

"Me," Raven answered, snatching it away from him.

"EUGH!" Beast Boy grimaced, sticking his tongue out in disgust. "Why do you like that stuff?"

"It's sour," she shrugged, shaking some of the white powder into her navy-and-white-striped bucket.

"Just like your personali- OW!" he yelped as a black band of energy smacked into the back of his head. "Oh come on, Raven!" he whined, rubbing the injured spot. "You walked right into that one!"

"Hmph!" Raven grunted, focusing back on her popcorn.

"_Anyway_," Beast Boy continued with a pointed glance at Raven, "where was I? Oh, right! So there's also parmesan garlic, sour cream & onion, cheesy jalape- OW! Raven!" he shouted, glaring at her. "Cut it out!"

"Wasn't me," she said simply, not even looking up from her popcorn.

"Oh really?" he retorted, leaning across the couch toward her. "So some invisible person is going around smacking me in-" he trailed off, his face wrinkling in confusion.

He turned around, looking behind him on the couch. After rummaging around through the cushions for a moment, he twisted forward again with a small, yellow container in his hand.

"Mustard powder?" he asked the container. "Who got mus-"

"Oh, glorious!" Starfire cried, stretching her hand across the gap to grab the container and her bowl of popcorn. She wrenched open the container, shaking the yellow powder onto her popcorn in abundance. The smell wafting up made her mouth produce saliva.

"Thank you, Beast Boy!" She replaced the container on the table, grinning at him. "That was most thoughtful of you!"

"But I- I didn't…" he faded off, looking perplexed.

Raven cleared her throat softly, and Starfire and Beast Boy both turned to look at her. She gave a short nod toward the kitchen, and then dropped her eyes back to her popcorn.

Starfire followed the direction of Raven's nod with her eyes, which came to rest on Robin rummaging in the food-cooling box. Her heart pattered slightly, in spite of herself.

"Robin?" Cyborg chirped, exchanging a wicked smile with Beast Boy.

"What do you guys want to drink?" the black cape bent into the device called, willfully oblivious.

"Roooobin?" Cyborg crooned again, turning around on the couch to face the kitchen.

"We have Coke, Diet Coke, Root Beer-"

"Did you get Star mustard powder?" Cyborg mocked.

She felt a sudden pain in her chest, a bittersweet smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she watched Robin, who continued to pretend he could not hear Cyborg's taunts.

"- Fanta Orange, and 7-Up," he concluded, but did not rise.

"Funny, Cyborg," Beast Boy interjected with feigned confusion, "I don't recall us having any mustard powder."

"You don't say!" Cyborg stroked his chin as if in deep thought.

"If you don't tell me what you want, I'll just have to pick something for you." Robin's voice betrayed only the slightest hint of discomfort before the banging of cans was heard once again.

"Hey, wait!" Cyborg exclaimed, dropping the act he was carrying on with Beast Boy. "Is that the 'errand' you said you had to run on the way back from the video st- OW!"

"OW!" Beast Boy shrieked again, simultaneously with Cyborg.

"Root Beer it is!" Robin was standing in the kitchen, leaning against the metal cooling box. His arms were folded; his mouth curled up into a smirk.

"DUDE!" Beast Boy whined as Robin ambled into the room and settled down into his spot between the two, injured boys. "Will you people stop hitting me in the head with things!?"

"Ya know," Cyborg said, appraising the can in his hand. "Even though that hurt –a lot-" he interjected with a glare at Robin, "it's still pretty impressive. What, did you throw one with each hand?"

"No idea what you're talking about," Robin contested blithely, grabbing his own popcorn bucket –red and white stripes- and leaning back into the couch.

"Yea, sure," Beast Boy snorted, rubbing his head with one hand and grabbing his green-and-white bucket with the other.

Starfire looked down at her yellow-caked popcorn, her bitterness fading somewhat. He had purchased that for her _today_. In spite of everything, he had thought of her. He was still her Robin. Somewhere in there. Somewhere…

"Hey, BB! Gimme some of the buffalo," Cyborg requested, stretching his bowl across Robin.

Grumbling, Beast Boy obliged, shaking the orange container over the light blue bucket until Cyborg pulled it away, apparently content with the level of seasoning.

"Okay!" Beast Boy announced brightly, jumping up in front of the television. "Movie time!"

As he kneeled in front of the video player and began hitting buttons, arguing with Cyborg's attempts to correct him all the while, Raven got up to turn off the lights, leaving Starfire alone with Robin on the couch.

She could feel him looking at her even though his face never turned from the screen. She tried to keep her eyes on her popcorn, but the popcorn simply reminded her of Robin, which was only serving to make the whole situation somehow more uncomfortable. She sighed, creating a miniature dust-storm of mustard powder across her popcorn. She giggled at the sight, looking up to see if anyone else had noticed this humorous event.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were still arguing over the video playing device and Raven was loitering over by the light panel, casting sidelong glances in her direction. Starfire suspected turning the lights off was not something that would usually take Raven so much time.

She was shooting a glare in her direction when she noticed Robin was smiling slightly, just a slight curl of one corner of his mouth. It vanished as soon as their eyes met, however, and he busied himself with his popcorn.

Starfire blushed, her gaze falling, but she was happy to know someone had noticed her mustard storm. Mustard Robin had purchased for her. Mustard she should really thank him for, regardless of the situation.

"Robin-" she began, his head jolting up hopefully. She was interrupted, however, by Beast Boy and Cyborg crashing back down on the couch.

"Showtime!" Cyborg sang, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

The lights went out and Raven appeared moments later, sliding into her seat beside Starfire. Raven gave her an apologetic half-smile before turning her attention to the screen.

Robin's gaze never wavered, remaining resolutely on her face as the DVD menu came up. The flashing scenes flickered across his mournful expression, and she felt her chest tighten with regret. But she had not forgotten. She could not forgive him. Not yet.

She turned away from his gaze and settled low on the couch, watching as the title "Wicked Scary" appeared on the screen in front of them.

…

Starfire awoke with a start, gasping with panic. A loud scream echoed around her room, emanating from somewhere down the hall. She leapt out of bed, rushing toward the door. It opened in front of her, and she let out a small shriek of fright, stopping dead in her tracks.

"Woah, Star, it's me!" the dark figure silhouetted in her doorway said hurriedly.

"Robin…?" she breathed, relieved.

"I heard a scream," he explained, his voice matter-of-fact.

"As did I," she answered just as curtly.

"Then, it wasn't you?"

She shook her head in response.

He stepped back out into the hallway, waving for her to follow. When they arrived in the living room, Beast Boy and Cyborg were already there.

"I heard a scream," Raven said earnestly, entering the room behind them.

"So did we," Beast Boy answered, Cyborg nodding along with him.

"Us too," Robin confirmed, a slight wave of his hand indicating she was included.

"So…neither of you screamed?" Beast Boy questioned nervously, pointing between her and Raven.

She shook her head gravely, noticing Raven doing the same.

"Oh," he added, his tone high-pitched, "That's okay. Nothing to worry about. Nothing scary going on here. It's just your regular, everyday, run of the mi- AAAAH!" Beast Boy ran backward toward the group, pointing behind him in the darkness.

Starfire instinctively ducked behind Robin, shrinking so her eyes were peering over his shoulder.

"What is it?" Robin barked, his hands curling into fists.

"Something- Something touched my shoulder!" he stammered, his hand shaking as he pointed.

"Azarath Metrio-" Raven stopped, looking down at her hands fearfully. "My powers," she breathed. "My powers don't work."

"What?" Starfire squeaked, pulling away from Robin's shoulder to gaze at her friend.

Cyborg's shoulder light appeared, scanning the darkness in front of them. There was nothing there, however, and everyone turned to look at Beast Boy.

"I know what I felt!" he growled, jabbing a thumb into his own chest.

Everyone turned to look at Robin, who did not seem to mind this was his decision to make.

"We should split up and search the tower. Try and find the source of that scream and, hopefully, whatever's messing with Raven's powers," he suggested.

"Split up?! SPLIT UP?!" Beast Boy rambled, grabbing onto the front of Robin's uniform. "DID YOU NOT SEE THE MOVIE?! When you split up, the monster hunts you down one at a time, starting with the good-looking, comic relief guy: ME!" He pointed his two index fingers at his face, his eyes frantically scanning their faces.

"Woooow," Raven stretched, her eyebrows rising.

"Yea, I know!" Cyborg agreed, scowling. "If anyone's the good-looking guy, it's me!"

Raven smacked a hand onto her face in frustration, and was about to retort when Robin interrupted.

"Regardless," he dismissed, "we'll cover more ground this way. The sooner we search the tower, the sooner we can get back to bed."

Starfire grumbled in agreement along with the rest of the group. Anticipating what was coming next, she began edging her way toward Raven around the outside of the circle they had formed.

"Okay, Cyborg, you go with Beast Boy," he ordered, and the two boys grouped together. "Check floor 2 and down."

"Would that include…the basement?" Beast Boy nervously inquired.

"Yes, Beast Boy," Robin reiterated exasperatedly, "that would include the basement."

"Aw, _man_!" he whined in response, his body wilting.

"Raven-" He hesitated when he saw her standing there, as close to Raven as she could get without touching her.

"I'll search alone," Raven interjected.

Starfire whipped her head around to look at her friend, who was resolutely not meeting her gaze.

"Uh…you sure?" Robin verified nervously, his eyes flicking between the two girls.

"Positive," she answered, and Starfire was certain she saw Raven smile slightly.

"Um…okay," he carried on, scratching the back of his head, "then you search floors 3, 4, and 5."

He cleared his throat nervously, unable to look at her. "Starfire and I will search the rest. Meet back here in an hour. And everyone grab a flashlight, I think the storm knocked the power out."

Raven nudged her lightly on the arm as she turned toward the staircase, and Starfire bit back an insult as Robin approached.

He stood in front of her for a moment, the silence strained and awkward.

"Let's go," he muttered, waving toward the stairs.

She followed him dutifully, but remained several steps behind. They walked down the stairs to level 6, hearing doors opening and closing below as the others made their way into their own levels. He held the door open for her, a gesture she acknowledged with a polite nod, and they began their search.

The 6th floor of Titans Tower was mostly unused due to the lack of necessity for such a place. This level was what Robin referred to as "The Quarantine Level". It was highly secure, with five, steel-lined rooms on the right side of a long hallway. Each room was set up to contain, as Robin put it, "anything we needed to". Starfire assumed this would be criminals, considering each room also had an adjacent monitoring area from which to observe. They reminded her greatly of the rooms of interrogation she saw on the crime shows, but they had yet to have a use for them so far.

She held a starbolt aloft as she opened the first door, aiming it into the room. The light reflected off the metal walls and table, but there was nothing else within. Checking the monitoring room, she found it similarly empty, and went back out into the hall to move onto the next one.

Before long, all five rooms were cleared, and they headed back to the stairs to check the 7th floor. The 7th floor was the level they had just been on, so she was not expecting to find anything there either. A quick scan of the living room revealed nothing out of the ordinary, so they headed back toward the bedrooms.

Robin opened the bathroom door and she pointed her starbolt within, revealing nothing but white tile. As they approached Robin's room, Starfire drew back, wary. Somehow, Robin seemed to know what she was thinking.

"It's alright," he consented, placing a palm on the door panel, "I don't mind." He waved her inside as the door opened, and she hesitantly walked forward, letting her hand fall to her side as Robin turned on his flashlight.

The room was tidy, as per usual. The computer at his desk was still on, ghosting the room with a pale, white light. She noticed the bed was made, which seemed odd considering the very sudden awakening they had all experienced. She also noted several newspaper articles tacked up onto the wall above his desk, all of them having to do with Slade.

She sighed softly, realizing.

Robin turned toward her, flashlight aimed at her feet. By the dim glow she could see his face reading hers.

"I sleep sometimes," he mumbled, turning away to check the closet.

She stepped toward him, her hands clasped in front of her. "Robin," she whispered, and he froze, still turned toward the closet with his back to her, "why are you doing the torturing of yourself?"

He did not answer. He did not even move.

She ventured another step forward. "It is not beneficial to your health. You should not be doing such things. You must…" she trailed off, searching for the words.

"You must learn to release things," she finished softly.

"Starfire," he breathed, turning to look at her, "I ca- STARFIRE!" He dove toward her, pushing her roughly off to the side.

She landed hard on the ground next to his bed and quickly twisted around to look at him.

Wrapped around Robin was a large tentacle-like object, which stretched out of the room and into the darkness beyond. Robin snarled and writhed, trying to break free of the creature's grip, his flashlight falling to the ground in the process.

"Robin!" she cried, jumping up to assist him.

Just as she stood, however, the tentacle lifted Robin completely off the ground and began pulling him quickly toward the door.

"ROBIN!" She leapt forward, grabbing onto a section of the tentacle.

She planted her feet firmly on the ground and tugged fiercely, trying to halt the creature's progress. The monster was strong, however, and her feet were slowly dragging forward as she fought with it.

"Starfire!" Robin choked, "Forget me, just get out!"

"I- will- not!" she growled, struggling to keep her balance.

"Starfire!" he shouted, frustrated. "Go! Get the others!"

"I am not leaving you!" she snapped as they slid closer and closer to the door.

"Starfire, that's an order!" he added angrily when she did not comply.

She opened her mouth to retort just as the creature lunged forward, ripping her from her stance and sending her dragging along after Robin. As they flew into the hallway, screaming all the way, she noticed the tentacle was coming directly out of what look like a hole within the wall. She screamed even louder, certain they were about to smash into it. She shut her eyes as the distance closed, anticipating the sudden jolt.

She did not feel the jolt, however. There was no smashing, no banging, no pain. Instead, she was falling, falling through absolute darkness. Only Robin's yell emanating from somewhere near her told her he was still there.

Just as suddenly as she was falling, she stopped, landing hard on her back. Her vision blurred, her head throbbing from the impact. She laid there for a few moments, unable to move, before a foggy figure appeared above her. She could hear a voice, warbled and fading in and out.

"Starfire? Are you okay?" she heard as her hearing cleared up. "Starfire? Can you hear me? Starfire?!"

"Robin…" she whispered, her eyes finally able to focus. She blinked several times before rolling onto her side, propping herself up on her elbow so she could look around.

They were in a room with stark, white walls. The floor beneath her was cold and also white, like a marble of some sort. There was no ceiling above them, only a black sky with glowing, red dots, which would look like stars were it not for their strange color. It was almost as if the room was floating in space.

"Robin," her voice shook with fear, "where are we?"

"I don't know," he answered kneeling down beside her. "It might- But it can't be… Unless…" he trailed off, his eyebrows furrowing as he cupped his hand around his chin in thought. He then pulled out his communicator, hitting various buttons and muttering to himself.

"Robin?" she prodded after a few moments.

"I think," he paused, looking around. "I think we're in some sort of…alternate dimension."

She looked up at him, confused, and he elaborated.

"According to the sensors," he gestured toward the communicator, "we're still in Titans Tower. Just…on another plane, I guess."

"I do not understand," she asked softly, shifting onto her knees.

He stood up, extending a hand to help her.

"I think it was Raven," he explained as he pulled her up beside him. "Remember after the movie, how she insisted she wasn't scared? And how her powers weren't working? I think she _was_ scared, and I think, because she suppressed it, her powers…created this. Like they were-"

"-acting out her fear?" Starfire ventured, hoping she was understanding correctly.

"Exactly," he nodded, looking around.

"But, Robin, if we are here, where are-"

"Beast Boy's in the garage, Cyborg's in the basement, and Raven is in the evidence room," he answered, communicator beeping. "Cyborg and Beast Boy haven't moved in awhile though. I think they're in their own dimensions too. It looks like Raven is the only one still actually in the Tower."

"Beast Boy and Cyborg, they are…separated?" she clarified, fearing for her friends being trapped alone in such a place.

"I'm sure they're fine, Star. It's not like we're in any danger here. I'm sure they aren't either." He smiled reassuringly at her, but her brain was already working on another question.

"But, Robin," she began, her brain working furiously as she looked up at the black sky, "if they are separated…how is it that we are together?"

"Because even Raven's subconscious likes to meddle," he grumbled.

She turned back to look at him, perplexed.

"It's probably just because we got pulled in together," he added in response to her expression.

He then turned very stern, crossing his arms. "Which wouldn't have _happened_ if you'd just let me go like I told you to," he snapped angrily.

Her mouth fell open in shock, but that was quickly replaced by anger. "I was not going to leave you!" she bleated, scandalized.

"I would have been fine," he insisted, dismissing her concern with a wave of his hand. "Besides," he added curtly, "I gave you an order. You should have let me go."

She turned her chin up at him, stubbornly setting her jaw and crossing her own arms. "You may execute me for treason later, if you so wish"

"Oh, come on, Star," he snorted. "You know I didn't mean it like that. I'm not the frikkin King!"

"You could have tricked me!" she shot back at him, glaring.

"Fooled," he corrected automatically, his tone dead.

She snarled at him, and he turned his hands up in front of him.

"Sorry, sorry!" he insisted. "Reflex!"

She appraised him for a moment before turning her gaze back to the sky.

"Look, Star," he started again, more gently this time. "You know I only do that- It's just to- If the time ever-" He sighed, and she watched as he ran a hand across his face in frustration.

"If something happened," he continued softly, "and you couldn't- couldn't save me _and_ get out…I- I need to know that you'll go if I tell you to." He stepped closer, lifting a hand to rest against her arm.

She backed away, letting his hand slide off and fall through the air to his side.

"Robin," she said firmly, "that is an order I will never follow."

He sighed heavily, his fingers grinding at his temples.

"Star," he pleaded cautiously, "you'd have to. You'd have to trust me."

"I could not allow you to die!" she interjected indignantly.

"And I couldn't let you die with me!" he countered, one hand slicing through the air between them.

They stood there for a moment, staring at one another in silence.

"Look," he whispered, stepping toward her, "let's just…talk about something else."

"How long do you believe we will be trapped here?" she asked, thankful for the subject change.

"I don't know," he mused. "If this is all some byproduct of Raven's fears, I imagine once she deals with it and regains control of her powers, she'll be able to bring us back."

She did not know what else to say, so she simply gazed up at the black sky. They stood there for a minute or so, watching the red stars flicker and fade.

"It reminds me of that night on the ferris wheel," Robin whispered after awhile, now standing beside her. "Ya know, when we watched the fireworks?"

"I do recall," she affirmed faintly, not taking her eyes off the sky.

He moved around to stand in front of her, making it impossible for her not to look at him. His expression was pained, his voice broken.

"What happened, Star?" he implored.

She backed away, staring at the floor in hopes that not looking at him would stop the tears that were stinging her eyes.

"Star?" he pleaded, and she realized she was expected to answer him.

"Robin…" she sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. "I- We-… Things change, Robin," she finished simply, turning her back to him.

"What? What changed?" he challenged, racing around to stand in front of her again. "Just tell me what it is. I can fix it. We can fix it," he pleaded, his hands lying on top of one another on his sternum.

"Robin," she sniffed, "you- you cannot-"

"Star, please!" he begged, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Please, there has to be something. I can't stand this! I hate fighting with you; I hate you being mad at me."

She tried to twist away as the tears spilled over her eyes, but he grabbed her other shoulder and held her in place.

"You can hardly even look at me anymore! Please, Star, this is killing me, please." His hands slid down from her shoulders, coming to rest just above her elbows. "Just…tell me how to fix it. Tell me what to do."

"Robin," she answered, lifting her tear-streaked face to look at him. "It is not that simple. You cannot simply…fix it."

"Why not?" he contested.

"Because you cannot!" she cried, twisting away from him. "You cannot simply…apologize and expect everything to return to normal! Not after what you have done!"

"What do you want, then?" he challenged bitterly. "You want an apology written in the sky? An 'I'm sorry' musical number? Flowers, jewelry, chocolate, what? You liked your mustard powder. Hell, I'll make you a mustard cake! Just tell me what you WANT!"

"I WANT ROBIN!" she shrieked, tears rolling down her face.

He was struck mute for a moment, frozen at her outburst.

"But, Star," he began hesitantly, his tone confused, "I- I am me."

"No!" she countered, shaking her head furiously. "No, you are not Robin! Robin would not shout at me or spy on me or- or _attack_ me! Robin would not hurt me! I want _Robin_, not this- this-" she stammered as she searched for the word, "- MONSTER!"

He staggered back slightly as if she had struck him. His mouth was slightly open, his expression blank.

"You- you think I'm…a monster?" he whispered after a few moments.

She looked away from his face, unable to stand the pain emanating from it.

"I think...that you are not yourself," she amended softly.

"Well, I- I guess, lately, I have been…" he faded off before continuing a few moments later. "I suppose I've been a bit…_Batman_, lately," he conceded, enunciating his oddly fitting choice of adjective.

She bit her lip, fearing the wrath she knew was coming.

"It is not the Batman whom you have been reminding me of…" She trailed off to nothing, regretting saying it already.

"Then…who?" he questioned, moving closer.

She looked up at him, silently pleading him to understand so she did not have to say the name.

His eyes widened in recognition, and she braced herself for the backlash.

"You- You mean…_him_?" he snarled, but did not raise his voice like she had expected.

She nodded, her gaze dropping to his chest.

"But- but, Star!" he insisted, "I- I'm not- That's just- But he's-" His hands were flailing side to side with each failed sentence, as if he were gesturing to some piece of evidence to prove each point.

She spoke hurriedly, trying to get through her speech as quickly as possible. "You are angry and cruel and manipulative and distrustful and-"

"How would you know, anyway?" he snapped. "It's not like you've spent any time with him!"

A small wince escaped before she could catch it.

He was in front of her in a second; hands back to gently resting on her arms.

"Star," he said firmly, but not harsh, "what happened?"

She twisted her head away from him, but he simple moved with her.

"Something happened that night, something you're not telling me," he asserted, his head tilting to try and break into her evasive eye-line. "You saw him, didn't you? He was there. What happened, Star? Did he hurt you? Did he-"

"Robin, please," she croaked, shakily lifting her head. "I- I cannot..."

"Why not?" he cross-examined, "Did he threaten you? Because you don't have to worry about that, we can-"

"Robin!" she sobbed, wriggling in his grasp. "Robin, please! Please stop!"

"Starfire," he hissed desperately, "tell me what happened! I can't help you if you don't-"

"You could not help me either way," she interjected, her tone defeated.

She looked away from him, averting her eyes down to the floor on her right.

"Robin, please," she pleaded in a whisper, "do not question me further. I- I do not wish to lie to you…" Her voice faded to nothing as she pulled away from him, wrapping her arms around herself as she turned her back on her friend.

"Then don't," he offered, his voice sad and tender.

"Robin," her voice shook with sobs, "I- I must. I-"

"Why?" he asked, desperate and confused, and she could tell he had moved to right behind her. "Why do you have to lie to me? Why are you doing this, Star? Why?"

She took a few steps forward, twisting around to face him as she went. Her voice exploded from her as if she had been holding it in, the pressure building until it could no longer be contained.

"Because, I- I-" she stopped, her mind scrambling to find the right words. When she found them, they were not her own. "I am trying to protect you the only way I know how!" she cried desperately.

Robin froze, his head jolting back in surprise. He stared at her in silence for several long moments.

"Where- Where did you hear that?" he gasped, his voice barely audible.

She bit her lip, hesitant to lie any further than was necessary.

"Star," he demanded, "where did you hear that?" He sounded…afraid. Afraid and shocked.

"I-" she hesitated, but her worry for his reaction overruled her concern for secrecy. "From you," she said simply. "Well, the you of the future," she amended.

Robin's eyebrows furrowed. "The- …what?"

Wary of going into too much detail, she hesitantly continued. "When I followed Warp into the portal, Re- Nightwing said it to me." She tried to keep her face nonchalant, but he was not going to be so easy to dissuade.

"Why would he…I… Why would he say that to you?" he stammered, the future/present conundrum making his forehead wrinkle even more.

Starfire sighed, resigned. "I asked him why you were acting the strange lately-"

"Well he shouldn't have tol-"

"He did not tell me anything," she anticipated. "He said that it could affect the past and all he could tell me was that he- that you were trying to protect me."

He was silent, his eyes dropping to the floor. He inhaled deeply, releasing the breath as a loud sigh as he lifted his head once again.

"I suppose…I can understand that," he said softly.

"Uh…" she trailed off, one eyebrow rising.

"What I mean is," he elaborated, closing the distance between them, "as much as I don't like it, I understand that, sometimes…you have to keep secrets. To protect the people you-" he cleared his throat and averted his gaze, "ya know…care about…and stuff…" He blushed slightly, scratching the back of his neck.

She felt heat rise up into her own cheeks as she replied. "Then…you are no longer angry with me?"

He looked up at her suddenly, the embarrassment now replaced with hurt.

"I wasn't mad at you!" he answered as if she were an insane person.

"But- but you…" She did not even know how to finish, the reasons seemed so obvious.

"I'm worried, Star! You're disappearing and lying and I- I don't know what to think!" He let out an exasperated growl, apparently genuinely surprised that she did not already know this.

She simply stared at him, stunned, and he sighed at her expression.

"Star, I really am just worried," he added gently, "but…I guess I don't show it all that well…" He smiled at her apologetically, but she did not return the gesture.

"Robin," she said sternly, "that does not mean-"

"I know it doesn't change anything," he broke in, "It's no excuse, I know that."

He moved forward to place his hands on her shoulders.

"I- I'll do better, okay?" he bartered softly. "I'll try."

She lifted her eyes to peek at him. It was so difficult to ascertain sincerity through a mask, but he sounded serious enough. At least he now seemed to understand that this was not something that could be apologized away; that her forgiveness could not be purchased.

She gave a small nod, uncertain if words would come through the lump in her throat.

"Okay," he smiled, releasing her shoulders and backing away.

He turned to look up at the sky. "Ya think, if we yelled really loud," he speculated with a smirk, "we could snap Raven out of it?"

As much as she wanted to remain upset with him, she giggled. "At this point, perhaps we should explore all possible options."

He shot her an impish grin. "RAAAAAVEEEEN!" he bellowed, cupping his hands around his mouth and projecting toward the sky. He cleared his throat and gestured in invitation.

"RAVEN," she shouted, though with less vigor than Robin, "WE WOULD LIKE TO BE RELEASED NOW, PLEASE!"

"OR STARFIRE WILL PAINT YOUR NAILS!" Robin added.

She giggled outright at that. "AND ORNAMENT YOUR HAIR!" she elaborated, inciting a chuckle from Robin.

"If that doesn't work, I don't know what-" he broke off into a shout as they found themselves falling once again.

She screamed as they tumbled through black. Somehow, Robin managed to find her hand in the darkness, and she clutched onto it so tightly, she feared she may break him.

She landed hard on her back, the impact ripping the breath from her lungs. A similar heavy thud and accompanying groan told her Robin had fallen next to her. She twisted her head in the direction of the sound to find masked eyes already looking at her.

"You okay?" he murmured.

She nodded weakly, her head still spinning.

"I'm fine too, thanks for asking," said a familiar voice above her.

She looked up to see-

"Beast Boy!" she smiled up at his inverted face.

"You guys were trapped together?" the green boy asked, his expression curious.

"Looks like it," Cyborg snorted as he came to stand next to Beast Boy. He pointed at something and they both broke into grins.

She followed their gleeful gazes to where her and Robin's hands were still intertwined in the space between them.

Robin grumbled as he rose from the floor, helping her up before abruptly releasing her hand with a small shake.

"Raven!" Beast Boy cried, running away from them.

Starfire rushed after him, her heart pounding as she considered what her friend's condition may be.

Raven appeared unharmed, lying unconscious in a pool of navy robes. Beast Boy knelt to the ground beside her, leaning his ear down to her face.

"She's breathing alright," he informed them with relief.

The girl let out a soft moan, and all four of them grouped around her. Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked a few times, looking at each of them in turn.

"What- What happened?" Raven asked weakly. She tried to sit up, but quickly swooned and began to fall backward again. Beast Boy threw an arm behind her, catching her and sweeping her into his chest.

"It's a long story," Robin answered, his voice coming from somewhere around Starfire's right shoulder.

"Perhaps it can wait until the morning?" Starfire offered, looking at her friend pleadingly. "You should get the rest now."

Raven looked back at her, her eyes determined. She opened her mouth, and Starfire knew she was going to argue.

"Yes, it can," Beast Boy answered for her. He quickly slid his other arm under her legs, lifting her in one, clean motion.

"What, no!" Raven protested, wriggling as Beast Boy walked toward the door. "Tell me now! Beast Boy! Beast Boy, put me down!"

"To bed!" Beast Boy announced grandly.

Raven snarled, but stopped her writhing, looking over Beast Boy's shoulder at her.

Starfire bounced up and down slightly, her hands folded under her chin. She was grinning wildly, unable to contain herself. The many times Starfire had asked her, Raven always insisted she did not like Beast Boy as anything more than a friend. She always blushed slightly when she said it, however, so Starfire was skeptical.

Raven rolled her eyes at her just as the pair passed through the sliding door and into the hallway beyond.

"Well," Cyborg interjected, breaking Starfire out of her happiness, "I'm gonna get some sleep. Night all!" He walked through the door after Beast Boy and Raven, yawning and stretching as he went.

Starfire stood staring after him, acutely aware of Robin's presence at her shoulder. He cleared his throat, and she smiled at this nervous flea of his.

"So…I'm gonna go to bed…" he mumbled.

She smirked to the floor. "Alright," she said simply, purposely avoiding giving him the answer he wanted.

He walked past her, taking a few steps toward the door before stopping. He half-turned to look at her, and she simply gazed back at him in feigned confusion.

"Um…Star?" he muttered awkwardly.

"Yes, Robin?" She barely suppressed a smile.

"Aren't you gonna go to sleep?"

"Perhaps in a little while," she said with a shrug. "I may go for an evening flight-"

"Starfire," he warned, but she continued as if she had not heard him.

"-or one of the midnight hour snacks-"

"Starfire?"

"-or perhaps I shall venture to the clubs of dancing to blow out the steam."

"Starfire?!"

She looked at him, arranging her face into something she hoped looked like unassuming confusion.

He was staring at her, a half-smile on his skeptical face.

"You're going to make this difficult, aren't you?"

"What do you mean, Robin?" she probed, clasping her hands together in front of her.

"Star, I _am_ gonna try and be better about this," he assured with a smirk, "but could you not make it worse?"

She broke character, giggling violently through her hand.

"I suppose I am rather tired," she admitted, adding a faux yawn. "Perhaps I should go to the bed."

"Thank you," he sighed, shooting her a small, grateful smile.

She headed toward the door and he followed beside her.

"I suppose I shall have to venture to the clubs of dancing tomorrow night…"

He stopped dead just as the door slid open.

She turned as she passed through the doorway, unable to keep herself from giggling at his frozen form and shocked expression as the door slid closed between them. She continued down the hall, already entering her room by the time the door opened again.

"Not funny!" he called, and she gave him a quick smile and wave as she disappeared into her doorway.


	9. So Close

_**Author's Note: **__This chapter is shorter, thus why you're getting two so close together, and kinda fluffy. Just so ya know. Chapter 10 will be up on Friday or Saturday, and that one is my re-imagining of "Date With Destiny", so you definitely don't wanna miss that!_

**_Songs: _**_"Just For Now" - Imogen Heap (relevant from when Starfire gets onto the roof -__**highly recommend listening to this one**__)_

___****__Don't forget that the songs and other info about the fics is posted on my Tumblr (see the link on my profile page)_

* * *

**Chapter 9: So Close**

Starfire awoke to a buzzing sound; which was now regrettably familiar, having awoken her several times over the past month. She had long forgone wearing the breastplate to bed, and now opted to leave it on the table beside her bed. It was still a rather irritating sound as it vibrated against the wood, but at least it was not physically shaking her anymore.

She rolled out of bed and dragged her feet to the closet. Bending in to grab the communicator, she flipped it open as she righted herself to standing.

"Morning," Slade said, unusually cheery.

She merely grumbled in response.

"I need you to be here at 2," he ordered.

"Why?" She sounded so resigned, and she hated herself for it.

"Your hand-to-hand needs a bit more work," he said simply, his tone mocking. "2," he reiterated, leaning toward the camera, "don't be late." And, with that, the screen went black.

Starfire clicked the communicator shut and dropped it back into the closet with a sigh. She did not understand why Slade had to wake her up at such odd hours if he were only going to talk to her for a few minutes. He was probably purposefully trying to be bothersome.

She slumped back to bed, collapsing on top of the sheets with a groan. Just then, a knock came to the door.

"Star?"

She whimpered, never so unhappy to hear Robin's voice.

"Star, you up?"

Resigned to the fact that there was no remedy for it, she twisted her head toward the door so her mouth was free of the mattress.

"Yes," she said simply.

"You wanna maybe…uh…" he stammered, "train or- or something?"

She placed her elbows on the bed underneath her, lifting her upper body. She turned toward the door, smiling.

It had been nearly a month since her and Robin had been trapped in that alternate dimension, and things had been getting better a little bit every day. Robin had disabled the alarm on her window and, while he did still usually wake up, he was not spying on her when she left her room in the middle of the night. Instead of peering at her through the door, he would come out and get himself a glass of water as well. On a few occasions they had even stayed up talking in the living room for hours, only going to bed when the sky began the change from black to grey. Then there were moments like this, where he would ask her to accompany him to fetch the pizzas for dinner or work on the motorcycle or do the training, and she could tell he was making an effort. And little by little, she was forgiving him. Not that she would tell him that, of course.

She rose from the bed, walking over to the door to have this conversation face-to-face. The door slid open, revealing Robin already in full uniform.

He jumped back as the door opened, a surprised smile spreading across his face. The smile quickly dropped, however, being replaced by a slack expression.

She tilted her head, frowning at him. "Robin?" she asked, concerned.

He cleared his throat and blushed slightly, looking down at the floor.

"You- uh- You're- um…" he gestured vaguely in front of him, still not meeting her eyes.

She looked down, surveying herself. Her matching pink t-shirt and shorts looked the same as when she had gone to bed.

"I am…what?" she asked, picking at her shirt and looking for some form of disfigurement.

He looked up at her, inhaling as if to speak, and then turning back to the floor.

"You're- um…not dressed for training," he said, pointing at her as if he had just made some grand discovery.

"No," she answered, eyeing him suspiciously. "I have only just awoken. Perhaps we can do the training later?"

"Yea, sure," he agreed, nodding vigorously.

She expected him to leave, but instead he simply stood there, staring at her.

"Um…Robin?" she pushed, looking at him out of the tops of her eyes.

"Yea," he squeaked, swallowing hard.

"Do you perhaps want to do something else?" she speculated, trying to ascertain the reason for his lingering.

"What?!" he panted. He broke into a series of coughs, after which he cleared his throat. "I mean…sure! What- what do you wanna do?"

"I do not know," she replied slowly, her eyes narrowing.

"Wanna watch the sunrise?" he blurted.

Her eyes widened at the sudden volume, but she quickly recovered.

"That is a glorious idea, Robin!" she chirped, smiling broadly. She stepped out into the hall, allowing the door to close behind her.

"Uh…" Robin murmured, pointing at her pajamas once again. "You're- um…not gonna…change?"

"Why?" she asked, surveying herself critically. "Is this not satisfactory?"

Robin choked violently. "No, no, it's…fine," he muttered, looking everywhere but her face. "We should go," he added, pointing down the hallway and walking off ahead of her.

She stared after him for a moment, perplexed, before shrugging and following him out into the living room. They climbed the stairs to the roof, Robin holding the door for her as they reached the top.

Guessing by the color of the sky, it was around 6 am, which meant the sun would be rising in a little over half of an hour. She stepped out into the cool air, breathing in the salty breeze that drifted up off the bay. She walked to the edge of the roof, gazing out over the city. The lights twinkled in the relative darkness, new ones flickering to life even as she watched.

"It is truly beautiful," she sighed wistfully at the vista.

"Yea…" Robin breathed beside her.

She turned toward the voice, only to see his masked eyes quickly twist away from her and out toward the city. She smiled knowingly, blushing as she too turned her attention back across the bay. She wrapped her arms across her chest, shuddering involuntarily.

"Are you cold?" he whispered, shifting toward her.

"I am fine," she assured, smiling over at him.

He lifted a hand around to the back of his neck and, with one, small click, brought his cape sweeping out in front of him.

"Here," he mumbled, reaching around her.

"Robin," she protested, "that is really not…necessary…" she faded off as he draped the cape across her shoulders, suddenly much closer than she remembered.

His hands, still holding the edges of the cape, were resting on her sternum as he closed the fabric across her chest. He was close enough for her to feel his breath against her face, but he had abruptly stopped breathing.

She could feel her heart beating erratically, and she hoped he could not feel it through his hands. A shaky breath escaped her as her eyes frantically searched his face, cursing that mask in every language she knew.

"Star…" he breathed, and she shivered again, but this time not from the cold.

There was not enough breath in her lungs to formulate a response, not that her brain was working anyway. She blinked dazedly. He was close. So close. So terrifyingly, wonderfully close.

And then, he was not.

He pulled back abruptly, his hands releasing their grip and forcing her to grab the cape to keep it from sliding to the ground. He looked to the side, just over the edge of the roofline, and she could see his chest rising and falling rapidly.

She hung her head, looking down at her hands as she twisted the black fabric between her fingers. She was surprised; not by Robin's reaction, but by her own. She had not expected it to hurt so much.

"I- I must go," she stammered weakly, tears stinging her eyes. She turned and raced back across the roof, letting his cape glide off her shoulders as she ran.

"Star, wait!" he called, but the door was already closing behind her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Robin_**

"Star, wait!" he beckoned after her, taking a few steps toward her fleeing form. It was just as well she didn't stop though, because he had no idea what he would have said anyway. He moaned, smacking a hand to his forehead in self-loathing.

"Idiot!" he growled at himself, turning back toward the bay.

He stood there for a few moments, grumbling as he calmed down. Things had been going so well! She was talking to him, they were hanging out. Things were on their way back to normal. And then he had to go and ruin it…

He sighed heavily, shaking his head at his shoes.

Damn her, with her stupid pajamas and stupid hair and stupid green eyes.

He turned back to look at the door she had gone through, and his eyes caught the black fabric pooled on the ground. He wandered over, kneeling to pick up his cape. He ran it through his fingers, scanning it mournfully as he stood.

He should have just kissed her. Just leaned in and kissed her. It wouldn't have been that hard. People do it all the time. But, no; he had to over think and overanalyze and hear Bruce's voice in his head telling him everyone would die.

He fastened the cape back around his neck, grumbling. It was Bruce's fault. He would blame him. That would make it easier.

The sun was slowly stretching across the rooftop as he headed toward the stairs. What he needed right now was some alone time in the gym, working out his misplaced aggression on a punching bag.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

She collapsed onto her bed, bunching the sheets up underneath her as she sobbed into the fabric. Things had been improving between her and Robin, but now…

She sobbed even harder as she replayed the events in her mind, feeling exceptionally foolish for her vain hope. Of course Robin would not engage in lip contact her. He was Robin!

A light knock echoed around the room, and she sat up, stalling her sobs.

"Starfire?" a soft, female voice asked.

She jumped off the bed, diving to the door and opening it.

"Raven!" she cried, wrapping her arms around her startled friend.

"What happened?" Raven whispered, pushing inside with Starfire still wrapped around her. She settled onto the bed, lowering Starfire down beside her.

"Oh, Raven," she sniffled, "it is truly horrible!" She fell back onto the bed, rolling over to crush her damp face into the sheets.

"What, what's horrible?" Raven prodded, patting her gently on the back.

She mumbled into the mattress.

"What?"

She mumbled slightly louder.

"Starfire, I can't underst-"

"Robin!" she shrieked, bouncing back up to sitting in front of the wide-eyed girl. "Robin is horrible! He wished to watch the sunrise on the roof and then I became cold and he gave me his cape and then- then-" she stammered, her eyes spilling over as she thought about it. "HE DID NOT ENGAGE IN THE LIP CONTACT WITH ME!" she sobbed, collapsing face-first onto the bed once again.

"What?" Raven snapped.

"He did not engage in the lip contact," she continued, twisting her head so her mouth was off the blankets. "It was one of the moments out of the movies and then he became the strange and did the ruining of it!"

"Starfire," Raven comforted with a gentle laugh, "it's okay. It's Robin! He's…well, you know…awful at this stuff."

"I- I fear," she stammered, gazing at the wall, "that he does not…" She trailed off, burying her face back into the blankets with a groan.

She felt Raven's weight on the bed, and opened her eyes to find the girl lying next to her, her body propped up on one elbow.

"Starfire," she said reassuringly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Robin likes you. A lot," she emphasized. "I think…I think that's why he's such an idiot about it, actually," she contemplated, her face thoughtful.

"W-What do you mean?" she whimpered, sniffling as she lifted herself on an elbow to match Raven's position.

"Well, I sense a lot of…turmoil within Robin. Pretty much all the time," she explained softly. "I don't believe he knows how to deal with his feelings."

Starfire bit her lip, looking down at the mattress as she considered this. "But," she began hesitantly, "he does…have them?"

Raven laughed lightly, rolling onto her back to stare at Starfire's ceiling. "Of course he does, Star" she chuckled. "You'd have to be blind not to see that. Everyone else does."

She shifted closer to Raven, holding herself up on both elbows as she lay on her stomach. "Everyone else believes Robin has the feelings for me?" she asked, hardly daring to believe it.

Raven nodded, turning her head to smile up at her.

"But- but why did they not- No one ever-" she faded off, her face wrinkling.

"It's not really our place, Star," Raven explained, lifting onto an elbow again. "You and Robin have to figure this out on your own. We're all just…watching. And waiting," she finished dramatically, smirking.

Starfire smiled back at her, a tingly warmth spreading through her chest.

"Thank you, friend Raven!" she squealed, pulling the girl into a hug.

"You're welcome," Raven laughed as she sat up and shifted to the edge of the bed. "Now, come on," she rallied, patting the mattress beside her, "let's get some breakfast."

…

Starfire did not see Robin for several hours, having been told that he was in the gym. Evidently, Beast Boy had attempted to ascertain the reason for his reclusiveness, only to be nearly struck by a swinging bag of punching. He had then come upstairs to rail about it to Cyborg, who was falling asleep over his lunch.

"I'm tellin' ya, guys, he's finally lost it!" Beast Boy ranted, his hands spinning around his head to simulate insanity. "I don't think he even _heard_ me when I was down there. He was just punching and kicking and flying around like some…"

"Oh, oh, I know this one!" Cyborg interjected, slamming his hand down on the counter. "What is, a Robin!" he exclaimed.

"Robins don't punch," Beast Boy snarled, sticking his tongue out at his friend.

Cyborg merely laughed. "Oh, come on, BB! It's Robin. He's probably just stressing out about Slade or something."

"He's always stressing out!" Beast Boy raged. "He's been a few nuts short of a fruitcake ever since…" he trailed off, gesturing at Starfire.

She tilted her head at him, confused.

"Well, ya know," he continued uncomfortably, "since you and him…" he trailed off, his hands swirling in front of him.

"Since him and I…what?" she questioned, and then her eyes grew wide. "How did you come to know about that?" she gasped.

"Wait, what?" Beast Boy's face scrunched up as he looked at her, perplexed.

"Raven," she accused, glaring at the floating girl by the window, "did you share with him our conversation?"

Raven lowered herself to the floor, looking surprised and hurt. "What? No, I-"

"What are you talking about?" Beast Boy blurted, standing in-between the two girls. "I was there!"

"You were there!?" Starfire exclaimed, her face flushing with humiliation. "But…I believed you to be asleep."

"Asleep?" His green face creased with confusion, and then he looked up at her, eyebrows raised. "Wait," he said, approaching her, "what do you think we're talking about?"

She blinked a few times in quick succession before her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you believe we are discussing?" she countered.

"That fight you guys had in your room awhile back," he said slowly, surveying her.

"Oh…" she murmured, blushing furiously. "Yes…that…"

"Noooo," Beast Boy elongated, grinning wildly as he moved to stand in front of her. "You were talking about something else. What was it? What happened?" he interrogated eagerly.

"Give it a rest, Beast Boy," Raven scolded, moving from her position in front of the window to stand behind him, arms folded across her chest.

"Ooooh, you know!" Cyborg announced, pointing at Raven dramatically.

Raven rolled her eyes before glaring at him. "So what if I do?" she challenged. "Doesn't make it any of _your_ business."

"Ooooo," Beast Boy whined in a high-pitch, mocking tone, "so it's _that_ kind of secret!"

"Did he finally make a move?" Cyborg pressed, twisting to look at Starfire, his eyes stretched wide.

"Did he…what?" she replied, not understanding this expression.

"Ya know," Beast Boy started, moving over to stand behind her chair, "make a move. Put his arm around you, hold your hand, ki- OUCH!"

Raven was standing behind him, tucking the hand that had just struck him back under her cloak.

"Raven!?" Beast Boy objected. "I'm just curious, geez! What, was he bad at it or something?"

Starfire hung her head, believing she now understood what was meant by the making of the moves.

"I would not know…" she said faintly, rising from her chair and heading quickly back toward her room, pointedly avoiding eye contact.

"Was it something I said?" she heard Beast Boy query as the living room door slid closed behind her, followed by a sharp yelp.

She smiled softly as she entered her room, sitting down on the bed and balancing her elbows on her knees. Glancing over at the clock, she saw that it was 12:36, meaning that she had nearly half of an hour before she would have to leave for Slade's. Hopefully she could hide in here undisturbed until then. She knew Raven would not check on her, surely being able to read that she wanted to be left alone, but she was most concerned about-

"Star?"

She lifted her head toward the door, fear clenching around her heart.

"Uh…can I come in for a second?" the voice said again, and she realized it was slightly higher than the one she was dreading.

She walked to the door, placing her hand against the panel to open it.

Beast Boy ambled sheepishly inside, his feet shuffling awkwardly on the pink carpet.

"I…uh…well…" he muttered, tugging at the collar of his suit.

She smiled softly at him, understanding. "It is alright, Beast Boy," she assured, gently wrapping her arms around the green boy, "I know you did not mean any offense."

"Um…" he hesitated, his murmuring vibrating against her shoulder, "does that mean you're not mad?"

She giggled at his confusion, and was about to respond when a loud cough broke in.

"Robin!" Beast Boy bleated, jumping out of Starfire's arms. "I- uh… How was your workout?" he blurted, visibly flustered.

"Fine," the boy deadpanned, crossing his arms.

"Great!" Beast Boy chuckled nervously. "Well, I'm just gonna…go," he muttered, sliding sideways out of the doorway and taking off down the hall.

She smiled after him, pitying his nervous reaction, before turning to look at Robin.

He was standing there, arms still crossed in front of him, and she could tell he was glaring even without being able to see his eyes.

Her back stiffened as she summoned courage, even in spite of her palpitating heart. With a smirk, she leaned forward, placing her hand against the panel and closing the door between them.

Robin let out a sharp, scandalized, "Hey!" as the metal slid into place, and Starfire smiled at her cleverness.

"Hmph!" she huffed, wandering over to her closet. She had more than enough time to get ready, but she might as well start early.

Undressing with her usual care to hide the breastplate out of sight, she slipped into the black suit. It was not particularly alarming to see herself in it now, considering this was now her fifth or sixth training session with Slade. She had graduated from the large robots some time ago, neatly disabling them within a matter of seconds, and was now working with Slade's robotic minions to practice the hand-to-hand combat techniques he was teaching her. She could not help but wish she could be learning such things from Robin, but that was most definitely not an option.

Throwing her backpack over her shoulders, she opened the window and slid out. She was getting quite good at doing this silently, which was a bittersweet accomplishment. With a sigh, she flew toward the city, wondering what lay in store for her this time.


	10. Involved

_**Author's Note:**__ A lot of you have expressed how much you hate Slade, so it seems only fair to warn you that you'll hate him A LOT in this one, and it is only gonna get worse. This is the last fluffyish chapter before things start tumbling toward the climax, so I hope you enjoy it! It's my re-imagining of the episode "Date With Destiny"._

_Shout-out to all of you that are reviewing/PMing or contacting me on Tumblr. Your words of encouragement make my day!_

_**Songs:**__ "What Part of Forever" - Cee-Lo Green (relevant from the time jump [...] on)_

___****__Don't forget that the songs and other info about the fics is posted on my Tumblr (see the link on my profile page)_

* * *

"Good," Slade bellowed as she dismembered another one of his robots, the last of that particular wave, "but you won't be able to do that to a real person."

"But they are not real people," she said, pointing to the pile of sparking arms, legs, and heads.

"All the same," he answered softly, "you should treat them as if they are. Otherwise, you're not really learning it properly."

She grumbled, readying her stance for the next assault she assumed was coming.

"There aren't any more," he informed, striding over to stand in front of her.

She relaxed her arms, looking up at him, confused.

"I thought we'd just…talk for awhile," he said casually, but his tone held a malice that made her suspicious.

Her eyes narrowed, and she brushed some of the stray hairs that had come loose from her horse-tail off her face so he would not miss the effect of her glare.

He chuckled softly, beckoning her to follow him as he headed toward the hallway off to the right of the main cavern area.

She hesitated for a moment before following, watching him closely to ensure he did not trigger any sort of trap.

Nothing of the sort happened, however, and they arrived at the doorway of a room she had never been in. He stopped in the hallway, extending a hand toward the door. "After you," he invited.

She looked between him and the door handle a couple times before folding her arms across her chest and raising her eyebrows.

"Very well," he allowed with a small laugh, opening the door and stepping through it himself.

Content that this was not a trap either, considering nothing had happened when Slade had entered, she followed him into the room. She gasped as she surveyed her surroundings, completely taken aback.

It was a room that looked terribly out of place in such a dark, cold cavern. There was a roaring fire against the back wall, in front of which sat a large, brown sofa and a set of chairs. Mounted on the wall immediately to the left of the door was a large, stone slab, upon which were perched various glass bottles of different sizes and shapes. It reminded her forcibly of the cabins she had seen on television, the ones that were generally located on snowy mountains where teenagers encountered terrifying monsters.

"Please, sit," Slade suggested, already standing in front of the fire while she remained frozen in the doorway.

Her mind still quite dull with shock, she ventured forward, taking a seat in the armchair on the opposite side of the room from the one Slade occupied.

"It is generally much easier to have a conversation when you don't have to shout across the room," he reprimanded, but Starfire crossed her legs and arms and stared resolutely back at him.

He chuckled again, leaning back in his own chair with a gesture of submission.

"What is it you wish to discuss?" she probed, keeping herself alert in spite of the delightful warmth from the fire on her right.

"Always right down to business," he appraised, shaking his head. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he continued. "What I wanted to talk to you about, my dear," he hissed, and she winced at the term of endearment, "was your current…living situation."

She tilted her head, puzzled. "My- My what?"

"See, it has come to my attention through my various…_observations_," he emphasized, and she understood his hint, "that things are less than amicable between you and a certain…masked avenger."

She could hear the smile in his voice, and it made her skin crawl.

"I believe your safety is in question," he went on, lowering his voice, "and I am _deeply_ concerned for your well-being."

"The only place I am in danger is here with you," she snapped, her voice rising.

"Oh, really?" he contested cunningly. "Is that so?" He reached forward, grabbing a remote off the table between them.

A screen flickered to life above the fireplace, and she heard a voice that made her blood run cold.

_"Do you have ANY IDEA what that's like? Walking in here, finding this on the floor, the window wide open? Do you know what goes through my head? Do you even have a fucking clue!?"_

Her breath stalled in her chest as she saw Robin's face on the screen, the angle of the footage making it immediately obvious that this was filmed with the stone in her breastplate.

_"R-Robin, Robin, p-please-"_

She shuddered as she heard her own voice. It was so broken, so sad. She winced as Robin began shouting again.

_"NO! Don't 'Robin please' me! Not now, not anymore! You've been doing nothing but lying to me for weeks! Getting lost in the sewers, K'Norblaflak, 'the mall of shopping'!"_

_"Robin-"_

_"SHUT UP! I'm done with your excuses! I'm done with your lies! You're going to tell me what happened, and you're going to tell me NOW! Where were you?"_

Her eyes welled up with tears as she watched his face, contorted with a fury she tried to forget he was capable of.

_"R- Robin, you are-"_

_"ANSWER ME!"_

She screen went black and she stared up at the void, gasping for breath as tears slid down her cheeks.

"That doesn't look very safe to me," Slade whispered smugly.

Her eyes flared green as she stood from the chair, hands blazing.

"You do not talk about him that way!" she shouted, her voice impressively clear considering the tears. "Robin is not dangerous! Robin would never-" she trailed off, realizing the fallacy of what she had intended to say.

"Never what?" Slade hissed, rising from his chair to leer at her. "Never harm you? Never hurt you?"

She shook her head violently, trying to banish the memory she had just been forced to relive.

"No, your _precious_ Robin isn't capable of that, is he?" he taunted, moving closer to her around the table. "And yet…"

"That was… That was a mistake!" she defended, pointing furiously at the offending screen.

"A mistake? How noble!" he mocked, laughing.

He suddenly took several, large strides, approaching her so quickly she staggered backward, only to topple back into her chair.

"I wonder what kind of _mistake_ he'll make when he figures out what you've done, when he sees what you've become," he spat, leaning over her huddled form.

"No! NO!" She put her hands over her ears, trying to block out his voice, block out the images his words were creating in her mind.

He leaned even closer, snarling into her tear-streaked face.

"What will your dear, sweet, Robin do then? Once he realizes you've betrayed him?"

"ENOUGH!" she screamed, planting her feet on the floor and pushing hard, sending the chair rocketing backward. She took flight before it hit the wall, where it shattered into a heap of splinters and cushion. She hovered there, panting and glowering down at him.

Slade straightened his back, not appearing the least bit surprised or unnerved by her outburst.

"Food for thought," he said offhandedly, waving his hand in dismissal, and she did not hesitate to shoot out of the room.

She made it out the main cave door before letting herself drop, completely losing her flight as the tears overwhelmed her. She landed on all-fours, gasping for breath, unable to shake the images lose from her mind.

She hated to admit it, even only to herself, but Slade was correct. Robin would hate her. Robin would disappear, and the monster would resurface. She was going to lose him, one way or the other. But what would happen to her after she did?

_'Your current…living situation,' _Slade's words echoed in her mind.

Is this what he had meant? Was he intending to provide her with somewhere to go? The thought was too horrible to think about in too much detail, but what choice would she have? Her friends would never accept her once they learned the truth.

She whimpered softly, watching as a few tears stained the dirt beside her hands. Luckily, she was spared thinking about the topic any further by a familiar series of musical beeps emanating from her backpack. Wrestling with the straps, she placed the backpack on the ground in front of her, taking care not to open the communicator so the video feed would not be activated.

"Star?" Robin's voice crackled forth, and she shivered at the sound.

"Y-Yes?" she answered, trying her best to keep the emotion out of her voice.

"We got trouble. Jewelry store on 3rd," he said earnestly, and she could tell he was running. "Where are you, anyway?" he questioned, his tone slightly softer. "You weren't in your room."

"I am on my way," she supplied curtly, ending the conversation with a flip of a switch. She flew down the tunnel, intending to get closer to the crime scene before stopping to change.

She ducked into a small inlet in the tunnel wall a few blocks away from the jewelry store's location, quickly switching uniforms. She would have to leave her backpack there until the battle had ended, unable to risk it falling open during the fight. As she began her flight down the tunnel, she heard a loud roar above her. A very distinct roar.

"Robin?" she questioned, following the sound's progress with her eyes.

She shot out of the nearest manhole just in time to see the R-Cycle's light sweep around a corner down the street from her, going the opposite direction of the jewelry store. She flew up above the level of the buildings, scanning the ground below her for signs of him. She heard a loud crash in the distance and flew toward it. It grew quiet after that, however, and she stopped, hovering in the air and listening intently.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something falling. Something that looked horribly like-

"ROBIN!" she shrieked, diving down toward the falling figure. He was not moving. Why was he not moving!?

She willed herself to go faster as the ground crept closer and closer, uncertain if she was going to be able to catch him in time. She barely made it, scooping him up mere feet from the pavement. He was stiff and silent in her arms, and, for a moment, she feared the worst. The rest of the Titans suddenly rounded a corner in front of her, and she flew down toward them, placing Robin on the ground between them.

She was relieved to see he was not dead, but what he was, she could not be sure. He was frozen in a position akin to falling, unable to talk more than faint mumblings that she had to lean in to hear.

"Getting…away…" he stammered.

"What has happened to him?" she asked anxiously, directing her question to Cyborg, who had the keypad open on his arm.

"That spider thing we were fighting had some sort of venom," he explained, and Starfire's eyes widened in fear.

"He's only stunned though, it should wear off in a couple hours," Cyborg added.

She sighed with relief, reaching forward to catch Robin as he began to topple forward.

"Got…to…go…after…him," he muttered again, his lips barely moving.

"_We_ have to go after him," Raven corrected, folding her arms stubbornly. "You're not in any condition to go anywhere."

"But-" Robin started weakly, but Beast Boy cut him off.

"Dude, we'll be fine. The guy has a spider for a head! How hard can he be to find?" he shrugged, smiling at the frozen boy.

"Starfire, take him home," Cyborg ordered, "We'll call ya when we nab this guy."

She nodded and, ignoring the smirk on Raven's face, lifted Robin into the air and headed off toward the Tower.

It was an extremely quiet flight. Robin could not speak, and she had no interest in speaking to him regardless, so they simply floated along above the buildings in silence. Their shadows reflected off the moonlit bay as they passed over it, coming to rest on the roof. Incredibly awkwardly, likely for both parties, she carried Robin down the stairs, leaning him against the couch once they arrived in the living room. She stood back, tilting her head side to side as she appraised him.

"I believe I can assist you," she said flatly, part of her wanting to leave him this way.

She moved forward, bending down to grab him by the ankles and flipping him upside down.

He grunted faintly as she twisted his legs, moving them in a sort of scissor motion as she bobbed him up and down so his arms pressed against the floor.

"Better?" she inquired, looking down to where his face was dangling by her shoes.

"Yea, much," he answered, relieved. "How did you- WOAH!" he exclaimed as she released his ankles, sending him toppling to the floor.

He landed flat on his stomach, arms and legs outstretched around him as he moaned into the carpet.

She floated over the couch, settling herself onto the cushions. From behind her, she heard him rise from the floor with a huff.

"What was that for?" he barked, moving around the couch to stand in front of her.

She glared up at him, tilting her head to the side to convey the foolishness of such a question.

His mouth closed into a thin line. "Oh…" he gulped, looking away from her.

She reached forward, grabbing the remote off the table and hitting the red button at the top. Pretending she could see completely through him, she began flipping through the channels, trying to find a program on fungus.

"Starfire?" he said softly, not moving from his inconvenient location.

She continued to stare past his arm, passing by several channels of the sports.

"Starfire?"

She clicked the button faster, pressing harder every time.

"Starfire?!"

The remote crumbled in her hand, her thumb going directly through the plastic and into a mess of wires and metal. The pieces fell away from her hand, toppling to the ground at Robin's feet.

"What?" she spat, her distraction rendered useless.

He sighed heavily, lowering himself to perch on the edge of the table in front of her, and she could no longer avoid looking at him. He was leaning forward, his elbows settled on his thighs as his hands hung limply in the space between them.

"Starfire," he breathed, looking downward, "I- I-" He lifted his hands to his face, cradling his head there for a few moments as he breathed deeply.

"I'm sorry…" he trailed off, letting his hands drop once again. The left hand grazed her right knee as it fell, and she recoiled from the touch.

He looked up at her with a pained expression on his face, but it inspired no pity.

"I- I didn't-… I don't-" He sighed angrily, rubbing his eyes with his hand.

He then lifted both hands to his face, covering it completely as he breathed deeply through the gaps in his fingers.

"Okay," he began determinedly, clapping his hands in front of him. "Star… On the roof, before...I- I didn't mean to-… Well, I just kind of-… ACK!"

He leaned back, running a hand through his hair as he growled in frustration.

"Star," he said softly, leaning forward again and clutching her hands in his own, causing her to gasp faintly in surprise. "What I'm trying to say is, I shouldn't have-"

"Good evening, Robin!"

His hands released hers as he whipped around in response to the voice, and she mourned their absence. Looking around his shoulder, however, she realized there were probably much more serious issues to attend to.

"Who are you?" Robin challenged, standing in front of her protectively.

"I am Killer Moth," the creature on the screen said, and it did indeed seem like a fitting name. He appeared to be a giant, sentient version of the insect he was named for.

"My children are terrorizing your city, demolishing it as we speak," the villain continued. "Your entire city will lay in ruins in a matter of hours unless you agree to my demands."

Starfire rose from the couch, hovering in the air behind Robin.

"What do you want?" Robin snarled, his fists curling.

"My demands are simple," the creature announced. "The city will declare me ruler, the Teen Titans will surrender, and Robin-"

Robin stiffened in front of her, and she could tell they were both holding their breath.

"-will take this lovely, young lady to her junior prom," he finished quickly, gesturing to his right.

Suddenly, a smaller screen appeared in the corner, from which a blonde girl leered out at them.

"Hi, Robby-Poo!" she sang in perhaps the most ear-splitting voice Starfire had ever heard.

Robin's shoulders went limp in front of her. "Um…what was that last part, again?" he muttered.

"Her name is Kitten," Killer Moth explained, "and if you do not want your city destroyed, you will take her to prom."

Robin did not move, and, unable to see his face, she grew concerned.

"Robin?" she inquired, tentatively placing a hand on his shoulder.

"We're gonna need a minute," he mumbled, grabbing her outstretched hand and dragging her along behind him, not unlike the inflatable rubber sculptures she had seen earth children carrying.

She remained silent as they traversed toward the back of the living room, not wanting to be overheard. As soon as the door closed behind them, however, she settled onto the floor next to him and started on her questions.

"Robin, what is this 'prom'? And who is this 'Kitten'? Why does she call you 'poo'?"

"Titans, what's going on?" Robin interrupted, and she noticed he was on his communicator.

She grumbled, realizing he probably had not heard a word of what she had just said.

"It's bad, man!"

She heard Cyborg's voice, and she leaned over Robin's shoulder to get a better look.

"I don't know if we can last much longer!" Cyborg continued, looking panicked as he fired his canon at some unseen enemy. "There's just too many of them!"

She moved around to stand in front of him, seeing the thought contorting his face. "Robin?" she asked faintly.

"I'm taking care of it," he deadpanned to the screen before snapping the communicator shut.

She stood there in silence, afraid to question him further.

He sighed shakily, kneading his temple.

"Prom, Star," he explained, looking up at her slowly, "is…a date."

She gasped, taking an involuntary step backward.

"And I don't know who Kitten is, and I don't know why she called me 'poo'," he concluded, spitting the word.

Her mind was trying to catch up with his words, and she was slowly piecing together a rather unpleasant puzzle.

"So…this _Kitten_," she clarified, "she is…your significant other?"

"What?" he blurted. "No! How could you even think that?"

"Well you are going to the prom with her," she snapped back with a glare.

"Because I'm being blackmailed by a GIANT, PSYCHOTIC MOTH!" he shouted, gesturing toward the door that separated them.

Her mouth pressed into a thin, suspicious line.

"Star," he said, softer now, "I have to go, okay? At least to buy us some time to figure out what's really going on h-"

"Is that why you were the strange this morning?" she interrupted faintly, a thought suddenly occurring to her.

He rattled his head slightly, obviously perplexed. "What?"

"Are you…involved with this girl?" she continued frantically. "Are you doing the dating? Is that why you did not-"

"Woah, Star!" he interrupted, grabbing her by the shoulders. "No," he assured, "I'm not…_involved_ with her. I've never even met her!"

She narrowed her eyes at him, wriggling half-heartedly in his grip.

"This guy's just another psychopath," he continued. "And she probably is too," he jested, flashing her a reassuring smile

She bit her lip, still skeptical.

"Look," he whispered, shifting his grip from her shoulders to her hands, "it's nothing, okay? I swear. You know I'm not involved with anyone…" he trailed off, his gaze dropping to their entwined hands.

She smiled softly before releasing him.

"I suppose you must go," she sighed, and he smiled in response. "But," she started, and his expression turned worried, "I have one of the conditions."

"Oh?" he inquired with a smirk, folding his arms across his chest. "And what might that be?"

"I am accompanying you," she said sternly.

"Star-" he began, his smile fading.

"You will want us to investigate the girl, yes?" she clarified.

He nodded hesitantly.

"Then I shall investigate her. Closely and personally," she finished, planting her hands on her hips.

A half-smile tugged at the corner of Robin's mouth. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

She shook her head.

"Well then," he chuckled, "it's a date!"

His smile then faded into a blush, and he coughed a couple times as she tried to refrain from giggling.

They walked back out into the living room, Killer Moth and Kitten still staring at them from the screen.

"I'll take the girl to prom," Robin grumbled at them from the stairs.

"Excellent!" Killer Moth exclaimed. "The boat leaves from the docks at 7pm tomorrow. Do not be late!" His screen went black, leaving only Kitten's face in the corner.

"See you tomorrow, Robby-poo!" she whined, pressing her fingers to her lips and blowing across her hand toward the camera.

Robin shuddered violently as the screen went black, tossing his communicator to her as he turned to go back out the door.

"What do I-" she started, staring at the device in her hand.

"Call the team. Let them know what happened," he answered flatly.

"Where will you be?" she called after him.

"Throwing up," he groaned, the door sliding open in front of him.

"Robin, wait!" she giggled, needing one more piece of information from him before releasing him to be ill.

He turned slowly, his expression grave.

"What am I to wear?" she asked urgently.

There were a few moments of absolute silence, him simply staring at her from the top of the stairs, before he burst into laughter. He clutched his stomach, turning back and walking through the door.

"Robin!" she yelled after him, annoyed. "I am being serious!"

He did not turn around, however, and she could still hear his raucous laughter carrying down the hall long after the door had closed behind him.

…

From her position on the ship, she heard a motorcycle pull up onto the dock, and she headed to the railing to investigate. Her heart fluttered as she watched Robin step off the R-Cycle, his tuxedo a welcome departure from his usual traffic-light ensemble. He removed his helmet, his back to the ship, and lifted a hand to his ear.

"Titans," his voice came through her earpiece, "is everyone in position?"

"We're on our way to your girlfriend's house," Cyborg's voice answered.

"She's _not_ my-"

"I am in position on the ship," she chimed in, interrupting Robin's snarl.

"This is so unfair!" Beast Boy exclaimed, and Starfire could not help but giggle.

"How so?" Raven asked coyly.

A large, costumed tiger appeared at Starfire's side, and she turned her head the other way to stifle her laughter.

"Why do I have to be the mascot?" he whined, and the tiger pounded its paws against the steel railing beside her.

"Because you're green, Beast Boy," Robin answered matter-of-factly, but the smile was evident in his voice. "We couldn't hide you any other way."

"But it's _prom_, dude!" Beast Boy protested. "I could be cleaning up, but _noooo_! I'm in the frikkin tiger costume and Star's the one getting all the action!"

"She's WHAT?!" Robin sputtered, the volume in her ear making her wince. He twisted around on the docks below her, his head swiveling side-to-side as he scanned the ship.

She blushed furiously and quickly backed away from the railing, not wanting him to locate her.

"Yea, she's danced with like 6 guys already!" Beast Boy railed.

"That is false!" she objected, jabbing her finger furiously in the tiger's face. "It has only been 3 guys!"

"STARFIRE?!" Robin shouted indignantly into her ear, and she winced again.

"I- I did not wish to be rude…" she explained haltingly, shuffling her feet.

"Well, be rude!" he countered. "Be very, very rude!"

"Yoo-hoo! Robby-poo!" The shrill voice carried up from below, as well as coming through the ear piece.

She raced back over to the railing, looking down to see Kitten approaching Robin, her pink dress sparkling in the fading light.

Robin groaned audibly, perfectly in time with Starfire's growl.

Kitten's voice grated in her ears as she flaunted Robin, but Starfire tried not to listen too closely. She was already grinding her teeth as it was.

Before long, the couple appeared on the deck of the ship, Kitten tugging fruitlessly on Robin's arm while he kept his hand resolutely in his pocket.

"Hold my hand!" she heard Kitten whine in her ear, watching the girl's lips move in time with the words.

"I'd rather stick it in a rat trap," Robin growled.

Starfire laughed loudly, quickly stifling it when she noticed the odd glances she was receiving from nearby prom patrons.

"What are you smiling at?" she heard Kitten snap.

Glancing up, she saw Robin looking in her direction, a dazed sort of smile on his face. She flushed, tucking her hair behind her ears as she smiled softly back.

"Are you checking out another girl on _our _date!?" Kitten hissed, scandalized, looking between Starfire and Robin.

"Yep," he snapped back, smirking at the blonde. "Do you want punch? I'm gonna get punch," and he took off across the deck toward the table Starfire was standing beside, leaving the blonde blustering in his wake.

"Hey," he greeted breathlessly as he drew closer, leaning against the table beside her.

"Greetings," she said simply, smiling at him casually, aware that their interaction was supposed to appear as if they were not acquainted.

"You…uh…you look-" he stammered, fumbling with the plastic cups.

"HOT!" Beast Boy interrupted, and she looked up to see an orange tiger giving her the thumbs up from across the deck.

"No, not _hot_!" Cyborg broke in, exasperated. "Ya don't say that to a girl! Tell her she looks beautiful," he suggested.

"Since when are you the expert?" Beast Boy quipped.

"We can hear you!" Robin reminded curtly, gripping his cup of punch rather tightly.

Two mumbled apologies drifted out of the earpiece, and Starfire giggled at her friends' awkwardness.

"You do though," Robin mumbled into his punch. "Look…nice…"

She reasoned she turned an even deeper shade of red than he was, looking down at her pink, satin dress.

"Thank you," she hesitated, biting her lip. "I believe your expression is…you are cleaned up nicely as well."

He grinned at her over his orange-filled cup. "Well…thanks," he murmured, taking a sip.

"You know we can hear you too, right?" Raven's monotone broke in.

Robin choked on punch, and Starfire giggled.

"ROBBY-POO!" Kitten called, stomping her foot on the dance floor.

A low growl reverberated in Starfire's throat, and she fought to keep her eyes from going green.

Robin groaned, rolling his eyes. "Tell me you guys have found something?"

"We're snooping around her house," Cyborg informed simply. "We'll let ya know if we find anything."

"ROBBY-POO," Kitten whimpered, rushing toward them, "dance with me!"

"Oh, you've gotta be- Just, hurry!" Robin snapped as the glittering blonde caught his elbow and pulled him away.

Starfire stared sadly after him, and Kitten stuck her tongue out at her as they rushed away. Flames licked the inside of her chest as she glared back.

"We found him," Raven and Cyborg said in unison in her ear, and Robin whipped around to look at her as battle noises ensued.

She widened her eyes at him as Kitten pulled him onto the dance floor, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Oh, Robby-poo," she heard Kitten sighing through the earpiece, "from now on, this will be _our_ song."

He stretched his head back as far as possible, his mouth curled into a grimace as she lowered her head onto his shoulder.

Starfire's eyes flared green for a moment before she collected herself, shaking her head. How dare this Kitten place her hands on Robin in such a manner?! Claiming songs and dancing with her head on him like that! Starfire sighed sadly, self-conscious of the fact that this was something her and Robin would likely never be able to do. She did not envy Kitten many things, but she was a more appropriate height for Robin than herself. Perhaps this was a contributing factor to why Robin did not pursue her?

Evidently, she had been staring too long because Robin was looking at her, his head tilted concernedly. She smiled, hoping to dissuade his suspicion, and went back to fiddling with her punch.

"Hey?" said a soft voice beside her, and she turned to be face-to-face with the smiling, fabric face of an orange tiger. "You okay?" Beast Boy added.

She sighed, looking out at the dance floor wistfully. "I am fine," she said sadly, and Beast Boy placed a comforting paw on her shoulder.

"Beast Boy," she began softly, looking up into his mask, "do you believe I am too tall?"

"What?" said three voices in unison, and Starfire blushed furiously, having forgotten that everyone else could hear her.

Even Robin, while he had not responded, was looking at her curiously over Kitten's shoulder.

"I- I-" she stammered, thinking quickly. "Have you been victorious with Killer Moth?" she blurted, changing the subject.

"Just a sec," Cyborg strained. "BOO-YAH!" he chorused a moment later.

"Does that answer your question?" Raven muttered.

"Pucker up, Robby-poo!" she heard Kitten's voice carrying through the earpiece.

With a gasp, she looked back over to the dance floor. In the time she had been stammering around her error, Kitten had wrapped herself further around Robin, almost appearing as if she were trying to climb him.

Robin was leaning back, his hands pushing against her shoulders. "Get- off- me!" he snarled, wriggling from her grasp.

"What are you doing?!" she shrieked, her hands in fists at her sides.

"Killer Moth has been apprehended," Robin said simply, straightening his tie, "the city is safe. We're done here."

"Yes!" Starfire squealed as Robin began to walk toward her, leaving Kitten fuming on the dance floor.

"Oh no, we are NOT!" she screamed, ripping the flower from her dress to reveal a silver, cylindrical device. "Daddy's not calling the shots tonight, Robby-poo! I AM!" She pressed the top of the device and, at that exact moment, Cyborg began yelling in her ear.

"The cages are opening!" he shouted, and she could hear sounds of a struggle.

"Block the exits!" Raven issued. "We can't let them escape!"

With a growl, Robin leapt forward, grabbing for the device in Kitten's hand.

"Get your hands off my girl!" a male voice said, and Starfire looked up to see a hideous, arachnid-like creature lunging at Robin.

She flared green, incinerating the dress around her, and fired a starbolt at the approaching creature.

"Get your _legs_ off _my_ boy!" she spat back at him, eyes blazing.

"Yea!" Beast Boy agreed beside her, bursting out of his costume as a gorilla before phasing back to himself. "What she said! Well…kind of," he amended awkwardly.

"Beast Boy!?" Robin called, batting at the creature's attacking legs.

"Right," Beast Boy muttered, charging forward to assist him.

Starfire flew forward as well, but her way was blocked by Kitten.

"You!" the girl spat, pointing at her accusatorily.

Starfire froze in the air, perplexed.

"You _stole_ my ROBBY-POO!" she shrieked, diving at Starfire.

Caught off guard, Starfire did not get her hands up in time to block the girl's attack. They collapsed back onto the table behind her, the legs rattling weakly with the impact.

Starfire grabbed her by the wrists, rolling them over. It was then that she noticed the trigger in Kitten's hand. She reached for it, only to have Kitten smash some sort of dessert onto her face, sending her toppling to the side. When she cleared the cake out of her eyes, she saw Kitten hovering over her, brandishing a large, heavy platter. She squealed, throwing her hands up in front of her as Kitten thrust the platter toward her head.

The starbolt connected with Kitten's chest, sending her flying backward. The trigger went flying out of her hand, spiraling toward the dance floor.

"ROBIN!" she warned, pointing at the tumbling device as he turned to look at her.

Robin ran across the deck, catching it deftly in his hand before turning to smirk at the blonde girl on the floor.

"Consider yourself dumped," he announced, dropping the device to the floor and crushing it beneath his boot.

"NOOOOO!" Kitten screamed, stretching her hand out pointlessly.

Starfire walked up behind the girl, lifting her roughly off the deck by her upper arm.

"I believe you shall be going to the jail now, _Kitten_," she snarled with satisfaction.

Kitten kicked and screamed beneath her grasp, but she was nowhere near strong enough to break Starfire's alien grip.

Robin and Beast Boy were tying up the unconscious creature as she approached, pushing the snarling girl in front of her.

"Nice work, Star," Robin appraised, brushing off his suit as he stood.

She smiled back at him, tossing Kitten down onto the deck beside the arachnid, where Beast Boy quickly tied her as well.

"I'll get you for this, Robby-Poo!" she screamed. "You haven't seen the last of me! Nobody dumps Kitten, no-" she cut off as a silver band slapped across her mouth.

Starfire looked at Robin, who was replacing something into the utility belt he had been wearing underneath his suit.

"Duct tape," he explained, smirking. "Never leave home without it!"

Starfire laughed along with Beast Boy, watching Kitten write and mumble as her face grew more and more red.

"AND NOW," came a loud voice as lights began to swirl around the trio, "THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! THE KING AND QUEEN OF THIS YEAR'S PROM ARE…ROBIN AND STARFIRE!"

Starfire's eyes widened as she gasped. She looked around at the gathered crowd, perplexed as to why they were applauding. Music began to play, and the lights dimmed as they traversed across the surface of the dance floor.

"Robin, what-" she started, but cut off as he extended a hand toward her.

"Come on," he baited softly, nodding toward the dance floor with a smile.

"Robin, I- I do not know-" she stammered, ignorant of earthen dancing methods.

"It'll be fine," he assured, stretching his hand closer.

She hesitated, looking between his face and his hand. With a deep breath, she took the invitation, sliding her hand into his.

He tugged her forward, pulling her onto the dance floor before turning to face her.

"Okay," he said simply, folding her hand into his. "Just follow my lead. And, Star?" he paused, looking at her meekly. "Try not to step on my feet?"

She giggled, nodding.

He tugged her to his chest, placing his other hand lightly on her waist.

She blushed at the contact, hoping the lights were dim enough that he would not notice.

He spun her this way and that, smoothly turning around the dance floor.

"Robin," she said after awhile, "I was not aware you knew the dancing."

He chuckled softly. "Yea, I've…uh…had to learn," he trailed off, and she understood it was something she should not press further.

They spun in silence for awhile longer, Starfire trying not to get too unnerved by the staring crowd.

"Uh, Star?" Robin began hesitantly, smiling at her softly. "Just, for the record…you're not too tall."

"AWWWWW!" two voices whined loudly, and she looked over to see Cyborg had arrived and was standing next to Beast Boy.

Raven rolled her eyes at the boys, covering her face with her hand in exasperation.

"Oh, shut up!" Robin snapped, blushing wildly.

Starfire giggled at that, and he looked up at her with a half-smile, the redness dying down in his cheeks.

"Come on, Raven!" Beast Boy's pleading drifted across the deck, and both she and Robin turned to look.

The green boy was standing in front of the girl, pulling on her pale arm fruitlessly. "It'll be fun!" he insisted.

"Absolutely not," Raven rebuffed, yanking her hand from his grip. "There is no way I am going to- OOF!" she huffed as Cyborg pushed her forward, sending her toppling into Beast Boy's waiting arms.

"I'll take it!" he chimed, dragging her onto the dance floor.

Starfire and Robin ceased their dancing to laugh at the scene in front of them: Raven protesting weakly as Beast Boy swung her wildly around the dance floor. Starfire made a mental note to ask Raven about this later, because she was fairly certain she saw a smile on her friend's face.

"What are you so happy about?" Robin questioned, noticing Starfire's grin.

"Nothing," she sighed happily.

"Yea," Robin muttered, disbelieving, "sure."

She giggled as he pulled her back to his chest and they resumed their dancing, careful to avoid Beast Boy's wild flailing as he spun around them with Raven.


	11. Gone

**_Author's Note: _**_This is the beginning of my end game, so things are gonna get pretty heavy from here on out. I'm gonna start earning that M rating, although this chapter is not that bad. It's also relatively short, so the next chapter will be up Friday evening, and that one is VERY heavy. You are warned!_

_**Songs: **"Dethbed" - Alkaline Trio (relevant from when Starfire runs off the roof)  
_

_____****__Don't forget that the songs and other info about the fics is posted on my Tumblr (see the link on my profile page)_

* * *

**Chapter 11: Gone**

"Again!" Slade snarled, hitting a button on his arm.

Several targets appeared against the wall, firing lasers at her where she hovered.

With a sigh, she handily disabled them with her eye beams, which she had obtained a week or so ago. Since then, Slade had been drilling her relentlessly, calling her in at all hours for practice.

"Slade," Starfire groaned, sinking to the floor of the cavern, "it is 3 in the morning. If I do not return soon-"

"We're done when I say we're done," he snapped back, folding his arms behind him as he strode toward her.

She grumbled various Tamaranean insults under her breath, crossing her arms as he approached.

"Oh, so you think this is beneath you?" he mocked, stomping closer to her.

"Well- I- I-" she mumbled, staggering backward, her eyes nervously scanning side-to-side looking for escape routes.

"You think you've trained enough? You think you're _finished_?" he snarled into her face.

"N-No," she stammered, panicking as she slammed against one of the machines, running out of space to put between them.

"Speak up!" Slade shouted, so close that she thought she may have felt some saliva hit her cheek through the slots in his mask.

"No," she repeated firmly, dropping her eyes to the floor as she pressed herself against the metal behind her.

The next thing she was aware of was an excruciating pain on the left side of her face. She toppled to the right, bringing her arms up in front of her to break her fall as she collapsed into the dirt. Lifting a hand to the stinging side, she felt something warm and slippery beneath her fingers. She pulled her hand up in front of her face to find the fingertips coated in a thick, red substance.

She whipped her head around, staring up at the dark figure hovering above her.

"NO!" he affirmed, bending down to point at her threateningly, "You're not done! You're not finished!"

He bent down, grabbing her by the arm and throwing her back up against the machine, his hand cutting into her skin even through the protective suit.

She whimpered as her head banged against the metal, wriggling helplessly under his superhuman grip.

"You don't stop until I say you can!" he continued to yell, rattling her roughly. "IS THAT UNDERSTOOD!?"

"Y-Y-Yes," she breathed, her eyes stinging with fear and pain.

He hit her again, sending a fresh wave of pain through the injured area as she yelped.

"SPEAK UP!" he railed, his voice near deafening.

"Yes, yes," she pleaded desperately, nodding emphatically, "I understand!"

"Good," he spat, throwing her back to the ground as he released his grip.

She landed hard, gasping as she fought back both the sobs and the stinging in her left cheek.

"Get out," he ordered, turning his back to her and walking away.

She staggered to her feet, inhaling and exhaling rapidly as she watched his tall, stiff form disappear into the shadows. She then ran out the door, not even attempting to fly. Her footfalls were heavy and fast, echoing around the concrete tunnel. She reached the manhole she usual exited from and collapsed on the ground at the foot of the ladder. Pulling her knees up in front of her, she sobbed violently, rocking back and forth in a horrified ball.

She had been attacked, again. She had been hit, again. She had allowed that to happen, again.

She shook her head violently, trying to expel the memories that were flooding back, memories she had long suppressed. The cages, the chains, the beatings, the-

She screamed, gripping the sides of her head with her hands as she continued to shake.

After her sobs dropped to whimpers and the rivers of tears melted to streams, she stood up, leaning against the wall behind her. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She had to regain her composure. She had to go home. They could not see her in such a condition.

She changed in her usual inlet, packing everything into her backpack and exiting onto the street. After glancing around to make sure she was alone, she flew off through the city toward the Tower.

By the time she crept into her room it was nearly 5am, and she was careful to float instead of walk so Robin would not be disturbed. He was always incredibly easy to wake up once it got past 3am, something she had learned the hard way through the past few weeks of these overnight training sessions with Slade. She even winced as she closed the closet door, afraid even the minute _-click-_ would somehow rouse him. She changed into her pajamas in the air as an added precaution, and settled down onto the bed as lightly as possible.

She watched as the clock ticked from 5 to nearly 6, unable to sleep. She must have rolled over hundreds of times, trying to avoid lying on the severed corner of her mouth. She was lying on her stomach, sighing heavily into the mattress, when she realized rest would not come to her tonight. The sun would be up in half of an hour or so, and she could never sleep beyond that; the sun gave her too much energy for that to be possible.

Internally grumbling, she lifted off the bed and pulled a fresh uniform and her bathroom bag from the closet before heading to the door. She jumped at the sound the door made, it seeming so much louder in the absolute silence of the Tower. She floated down the hallway to the bathroom, grateful to find it unoccupied, although that was not exactly unexpected.

Locking the door behind her, she set her fresh clothes and bag on the counter and looked up to survey herself in the mirror. She grimaced at the sight, realizing just how lucky it was that she had not met anyone in the hallway.

Her cheek was bruised faintly, and the left corner of her mouth was red and raw, a cut evident on her lower lip. With her accelerated healing, it would all be gone in a couple of hours or so, but she would have to be careful not to be seen until then. Other than that, she simply looked ragged, which would be expected after yet another night with no sleep.

She leaned into the shower, twisting the large, silver knob. Water shot out of the wall, and she adjusted the temperature to her preference before slipping out of her pajamas and stepping inside. She spun in the stream, letting the water wash over her face, which caused her to hiss in pain as it crossed her damaged lip.

She leaned out from the curtain, plucking her shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and scrubbing device from her purple bag. After lathering, rinsing, and repeating, she quickly cleansed her body with the lavender-vanilla body wash and twisted off the shower as soon as all of the suds were cleared.

She reached her hand out to grab a towel, pulling it into the shower with her. She dried herself off slightly before stepping out onto the fuzzy, blue rug that awaited. Once her body was dry, she twisted her hair up into the towel and pulled on her uniform. It was then that she noticed the bruise on her upper arm from where Slade had gripped her. That would heal soon enough as well, but she would have to return to her room to obtain some sort of sweater until it did.

After ruffling her hair somewhat dry with the towel, she packed her bag and headed back toward her room, still hovering so as not to rouse Robin. Plucking a sweater from her closet, she quickly slipped her arms into it and headed back to the door. The sun would be rising soon, and she would heal even faster if she could soak up some energy.

Luckily, she got through the hallway and up to the roof without encountering anyone, but she knew Robin would be awakening any time now. Settling herself down on the edge of the roof, her feet dangling off the edge, she breathed in the early-May, morning air. The cool temperature was a welcome relief to her stinging lip, so she sat there quite content as the first hints of light began to traverse the midnight blue sky.

As the light grew brighter, streaking the night with hues of pink and yellow, she could feel a slight tingling in the corner of her mouth, a sign that it had begun to heal. Hopefully, it would be gone before anyone discovered her whereabouts.

"Up early again?"

Or not.

She turned -to the right so the injured side of her face would not be presented- to see Robin walking toward her. Her heart leapt into her throat, but she managed to smile back.

"I could not sleep," she replied simply.

Thankfully, he sat down on her right side, and she went back to looking out at the bay, her fingers clenching the edge of the roof with anxiety.

"Yea, me neither," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I heard you get in the shower."

"Oh," she muttered, too nervous to form complete sentences.

"Well, I mean, I don't like _listen_ for when you get in the shower or anything," Robin expounded nervously, obviously misinterpreting the reason for her discomfort.

She giggled softly, turning her head slightly toward him. "I understand your meaning," she assured, and he flashed a small smile back at her.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching as the colors in the sky began fading to pale blue.

"Uh…Starfire?" Robin murmured, and she glanced over again to find him looking down at the small bit of space between them.

"Hmm?" she acknowledged, raising her eyebrows.

"I- I've been thinking," he mumbled hesitantly, "about…what happened…a-awhile ago."

She looked at him quizzically, but she had a faint suspicion as to what he may mean. Not enough to respond, however, so she simply looked at him and waited for him to continue.

"And- uh- well, ya see…the thing is- Well, I-" he stammered, turning away from her. He inhaled deeply, exhaling out toward the bay before turning back to her, this time looking her in the eye. Or so she assumed, at least.

"Star," he began confidently, and her heart stopped as her eyes flicked down to where his hand had moved to cover hers, "I…" His eyebrows wrinkled together as he hesitated, his mouth pressing into a determined line.

Abruptly, he lifted his right hand, stretching across to settle it on the left side of her jaw. With light pressure, he turned her head toward him, and her breath stalled.

Her lips trembled as he moved closer, their noses mere centimeters from touching. Her eyelids were just fluttering closed when Robin suddenly froze.

"What happened?" he asked furtively, his thumb grazing across the corner of her lip.

She snapped back with a wince, turning her head away from him as her mind spun frantically, trying to come up with a plausible excuse.

"Star," he continued forcefully, replacing his hand on her cheek and trying to twist her face back to his, "what happened?"

She shook his hand off, looking completely the opposite direction. "I- I bit my lip," she fabricated weakly.

"In the corner?" Robin challenged, his voice rising. "Well that'd be impressive."

"Per-Perhaps it was something I ingested?" she stretched further.

"Like what, glass?" he confuted with a snarl.

"Dehydration?" she squeaked, wincing.

"Starfire!?" He pulled at her chin again, and this time she followed, knowing there was no remedy for it now.

"God, Star," he breathed, his fingers grazing across her cheek, "you're all bruised."

"It is nothing," she assured, sliding her hand over top of his and pulling it off her cheek.

"That is _not_ nothing!" he argued. His body then froze, his eyebrows rising with dawning comprehension.

"Did you- Did someone-" he stumbled, his voice shaking with restrained fury, "Did someone _hit_ you?"

"No," she lied, her head drooping.

"Like hell!" Robin snapped. "I know what that looks like, Star. I've taken a punch or two."

"Robin," she tried to assure him, "you are mistaken. I was not-"

"STOP!" he shouted, jumping to his feet beside her. "Just stop!"

He paced back and forth across the edge of the roof, gesticulating furiously as he ranted.

"This has gone too far, Star! This is too much! I can handle the mysterious absences and the sleepless nights and, yes, even the odd lie," he rambled.

"But _this_?" he emphasized, gesturing down at her as he stopped his pacing. "I can't do this! I can't just stand by and-"

Her eyes filled with tears as he exhaled heavily, dropping to his knees beside her.

"Star, please," he pleaded, his voice shaking and broken. "Please," he lifted his hand to her cheek once again, "tell me what happened."

She could not look him in the eye, turning her head to stare across the roof as a few tears broke loose.

Robin swept them away with a graze of his fingers, lifting his other hand so her face was now completely cupped in his hands.

"Please," he whispered, and she whimpered at the sheer volume of pain contained within it.

"R-R-Robin," she cried, shaking her head as much as she could within the confines of his fingers, "I-I cannot."

"Why?" he begged, green gloves wiping at her cheeks. "Why can't you tell me?"

She sobbed weakly, lifting her hands to his. "I-I am sorry," she apologized, finally looking at him.

She ripped his hands off her face as she stood up, running toward the door.

"STARFIRE!" he bellowed, and she heard his heavy footsteps take off after her.

She turned as she passed through the door, closing it briskly behind her. Lighting a starbolt in her hand, she hovered over the handle, melting the metal together.

There was a heavy thud as Robin hit the door, and she heard him jiggling the handle uselessly.

"Starfire!?" he shouted, several more thumps echoing around the stairwell as she raced down to the next floor. "STARFIRE!" His voice echoed behind her as she burst into the living room, panting and crying.

Knowing she did not have much time before Robin found some other way down from the roof, she pounded down the hallway to her room, no longer caring to be quiet. She locked the door behind her before leaping to the closet, ripping it open. Her hands shaking, she frantically packed a few extra uniforms, Slade's suit, and her communicator into her backpack. Carrying the sack over to the desk, she dumped the contents of her bathroom bag inside, not caring about what was still damp or not. She threw the backpack over her shoulders as she made her way to the window, fumbling to open it.

"STARFIRE!" she heard Robin yell, sounding as if he were on his way down the hallway.

She glanced frantically at the door before turning to the window, placing her hands on the frame and preparing to thrust herself through. She paused, however, looking down at the Titan communicator on her waist.

"Starfire!" Robin shouted again, now pounding on her door.

Wrenching the communicator from her belt, she snapped it open, poking at the keyboard. After hastily typing a short message, she threw the device onto her bed and flew out the window, trying not to hear Robin's strangled cries.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Robin_**

"Starfire!?" he screamed, pounding and kicking at the stairwell door. "STARFIRE!"

He backed away, looking frantically around the roof. His eyes caught a vent some ten feet to his left, and he raced for it. The top came off with one, swift kick, and he jumped inside, falling several feet before landing with a loud crash. He crawled frantically through the vent, winding his way around until he was above the ops center. He kicked in the cover and flung himself into the room, landing with a crouch on the carpet. He bounded back up immediately, bolting for the main door.

"STARFIRE!" he bellowed as he entered the hallway, bounding toward her bedroom.

"Starfire!" he shouted again, both fists crashing repeatedly against the metal. "Open- this- DOOR!" he magnified, enunciating every word with a heavy kick.

He paused for a moment, listening intently, but heard no sound coming from within her room.

Panicking now, he hardly noticed as Raven appeared in the hallway behind him, closely followed by Cyborg and Beast Boy.

"Enable voiceprint analysis," he ordered the unseen computer system.

"Voiceprint analysis online," a mechanized, female voice answered.

"OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR!" he commanded, giving it another punch for good measure.

"Command confirmed," the voice said, and the door swept open in front of him.

"Starfire!?" he panted, his eyes furtively searching the room.

Her closet was open, stray pieces of her uniform on the floor in front of it. Her purple toiletry bag was lying on its side on her desk, water dripping out of it and darkening the carpet below. The last thing he noticed was the window, which was open, the curtains billowing inward with the breeze.

"No, no, NO!" he shrieked, feeling himself losing his mind.

He raced over to the window, thrusting his upper body through.

"STARFIRE!" he bellowed into the sky, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Hyperventilating, he leaned back into the room, turning around to see three terrified faces staring back at him. His lips were trembling as he tried to slow his breathing enough to explain, and that's when he noticed the communicator.

He dove forward, whisking it up off the bed. Blinking furiously, his vision momentarily blurred with panic, the text on the screen slowly came into focus.

_I had to. I am truly sorry. Goodbye._

"No…" he breathed, staggering backward and collapsing against the windows. He slid down to the floor, staring at the communicator he still held in his shaking hands.

_Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye._

He read it over and over, his head shaking with denial.

"Robin," Raven's terrified whisper broke in.

He was dimly aware of her kneeling at his side, a hand placed gingerly on his shoulder.

"Robin, what happened?" she asked breathlessly.

He looked up at her, seeing his own terror reflected in her violet eyes.

"She's gone…" he faded away to nothing, the words somehow making it all the more horribly, terrifyingly real.


	12. Reckoning

**_Author's Note: _**_This chapter is heavy, guys. Heeeeavy. Not kidding. Like I welled up a bit proofreading it. And the next chapter is even worse. You have been warned!_

_Also, shout-out to those of you that regularly review or contact me on Tumblr! You guys seriously make my day, and I hope to hear from you about this chapter too! Provided you don't hate me or die of feels..._

**_Songs:_**_ "Running Up That Hill" - Placebo (relevant from when Robin begins chasing after the thief on the roof)_

_______****__Don't forget that the songs and other info about the fics is posted on my Tumblr (see the link on my profile page)_

* * *

**Chapter 12: Reckoning**

Starfire sat on the floor of the tunnel, her breath coming in sharp gasps between sobs.

She had left. Just left him there. Left them all. And she could never go back.

"Robin…" she whimpered, burying her face in her pulled up-knees, trying not to think about how hurt he must be.

He had only been trying to help. He had only wanted to be there for her. And she had betrayed him. Abandoned him.

Tears ran down her legs as she sobbed into her knees, her breathing ragged and choked.

Where could she go now?

She knew the answer, of course, but it was not one she wanted to accept. She had nowhere else to go. She had no other choice. No one would take her now.

She lifted her head, wiping her cheeks on the back of her right hand. Standing up, she straightened her backpack and took off down the tunnel, trekking the now familiar path.

She reached the large, metal door and stared up at it, intimidated. She had never come here of her own accord. She had never imagined she would need to.

Raising a hesitant hand, she knocked three times and waited. After a moment, the door unlocked with a thunderous, metallic _-clunk- _and swung inward with a squeal.

"Well, well," Slade said, striding toward her out of the shadows, "what a surprise."

She remained silent, her jaw clenched with restraint as he approached.

"To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?" he queried, his hands rising out to his sides in a gesture of welcome.

"I- I had to-" she stopped, a lump rising in her throat once again as she thought about it.

Slade chuckled. "Run away from home, have you?"

She nodded mutely to the ground, loathing herself for needing to sink to this.

"Well, don't worry, my dear," he taunted, and she cringed as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll always have a home here."

Her legs heavy with guilt and dread, she walked with him through the door, the metal dragging closed behind her.

"I've had a room made up for you for a few weeks now. Just…in case," he bragged, beckoning her down one of the hallways.

Not without trepidation, she followed him until he stopped in front of a riveted, steel door.

"I hope you find it…comfortable," he hissed, and she shivered. He placed a hand on the knob and swung the door inward, gesturing for her to enter first.

She did, and, upon gazing around the room, her eyes widened. It reminded her forcibly of the room Robin had occupied when she had travelled to the future. The walls were solid concrete, and there was no furniture in the room aside from a wooden chest of drawers and a bed. The bed frame was made of a heavy, silver metal; the mattress on top covered simply in a grey sheet.

"You might want to get some rest," Slade suggested menacingly. "We have big plans tonight."

Before she could ask what he meant, Slade had slammed the door behind him, making her cringe as the sound bounced around the room.

She wandered over to the bed, setting her backpack down beside her as she sat on the edge of mattress. The stinging in her eyes returned, and her body bent as she doubled over to sob into her hands.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Robin_**

"What do you mean she's not on Tamaran?" Robin growled. "Where else would she be?"

Raven couldn't sense her, Beast Boy hadn't picked up her scent when they'd searched the city, and Cyborg couldn't hone in on her energy signature. She couldn't possibly still be in Jump.

"I don't know, Robin," Batman answered, his mask even more intimidating when it was taking up the entire living room television. "All I can tell you is that our contacts on Tamaran say she hasn't returned there."

"Are you sure?" he probed, pointing demandingly at his mentor. "Maybe you asked the wrong people. Maybe they kidnapped her. Maybe they-"

"Robin," Batman interrupted angrily, "our information is solid. She's not there."

Robin grumbled, but did not pry any further. If Bruce said she wasn't there, she wasn't there. He wouldn't lie to him about something this important.

"Alright," he sighed, kneading the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Thanks anyway, I guess," he acknowledged begrudgingly.

"Robin?" Batman added, his voice slightly softer, and Robin knew this was Bruce talking to Dick and not Batman talking to Robin.

He looked up at the screen in response.

"You'll find her," he assured, giving an encouraging nod.

Robin nodded back and the screen went black.

He collapsed back onto the couch, burying his face in his hands. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he knew who it was before they even spoke.

"It'll be okay, Robin," Raven comforted, squeezing into his shoulder.

"Yea," Beast Boy concurred, moving to stand in front of him. "Batman's right, we'll find her."

"I hope you're right," he mumbled, shaking off Raven's hand and rising from the couch. "If you need me," he continued as he walked toward the stairwell door, "you know where to find me."

The door closed behind him as he climbed the stairs to the roof. Cyborg had already sawed through the melted metal, so Robin pulled the disfigured door open and headed out into the midday sun. The sun, now high in the sky, seemed to mock him with its warmth; the sparkling waters of the bay dancing to spite him.

He ambled over to the edge of the roof where he and Starfire had been sitting mere hours ago, but it felt like a lifetime already. It was now 2pm; she'd been missing for nearly 8 hours.

He wished he didn't know the statistics on these sorts of things. He wished he wasn't calculating how many hours she had left before her odds of being found alive went down dramatically. He wished he wasn't thinking about every rapist and murderer he had caught in this town. He wished he wasn't thinking about how many he hadn't.

But he was. It was in his nature. He dealt with facts, numbers, statistics. He found solutions. Every problem had a solution, and he could find it if he just worked hard enough, looked hard enough, fought hard enough.

This, however, this he didn't know how to deal with. He didn't have any facts. He didn't like the numbers and statistics. He couldn't find any solutions. He had looked everywhere. There was nothing to fight.

He was helpless. And he hated himself for it.

Sinking to the ground on the edge of the roof, dangling his feet off the edge, he gazed out toward the city.

"Where are you?" he asked the wind, but no answers came.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Wake up!"

Starfire shot up as the mattress shook underneath her to find Slade standing beside her, having evidently just kicked the bed frame.

"We've got work to do," he snarled, turning back toward the door. "Get changed," he added, and then closed the door behind him.

She opened her backpack, which was still resting next to her where she had left it before falling asleep, and pulled out her suit. Assuming the communicator was now unnecessary, she left it in the bag as she got changed and left the room to follow Slade.

Turning toward the main room, she saw a figure silhouetted in the glow of the television screens. She approached him cautiously, wondering what these "big plans" for tonight were. When he did not acknowledge her, she turned her attention to the television screens, where various images of a single, tall, modern building were displayed.

"Do you know what that is?" he asked her without looking.

"Um…" she hesitated, scanning the photos, "I believe that is one of the buildings downtown."

"Wayne Enterprises, to be precise," Slade elaborated. "They're working on a prototype heat ray I have a particularly…_vested_ interest in."

She waited for him to continue, but he did not. "I…I do not understand," she ventured, looking between him and the screen.

"Don't you?" he asked, twisting his head to look down at her. "You're going to steal it for me," he demanded smugly, and her eyes widened with surprise.

"What?" she breathed, stepping away from him. "No," she protested, "I- I am not a criminal."

"Maybe I'm not making myself clear," he suggested, pulling his arm up in front of him. He hit a button on the panel and, at that exact instant, every nerve in her body caught fire.

She shrieked, collapsing to the floor in a heap, her body contorting with pain. She could not breathe, her vision blurring as she grew close to passing out. Just as quickly as it had started, it was gone, and she propped herself up on her elbows.

"Wha-what-" she gasped, looking up at him in confusion.

"I have an…insurance policy, of sorts, built into your suit," he explained maliciously, bending down in front of her. "If you step out of line…" he paused, lifting his arm once more.

The electricity shot through her again and she fell back to the ground, her already-injured jaw slamming into the dirt.

"…there will be consequences," he concluded threateningly, returning to standing.

"I-I will not st-steal," she stuttered through gritted teeth, fighting to rise up on her hands.

"You'll do what you're told," he asserted. "One way…or another," he concluded with a hiss, and she screamed as his foot smashed into her ribs.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Robin_**

The red siren blared around the living room, rousing them all out of their silent worry.

"What is it?" Robin called over to Cyborg, who was already at the console.

"We got a break-in," he announced, fingers flying across the keyboard. "Somewhere in the technology district: Wayne Enterprises."

Robin's eyes widened behind his mask, and he was grateful no one else could see that tell.

"Let's go," he muttered, more than slightly resentful that Bruce's crappy security was pulling him away from searching for Starfire.

He ran down to the garage, climbing onto the R-Cycle. The door rolled open in front of him as the engine revved up, and he squealed out into the tunnel that connected their island to the city. He was grateful for these few moments of alone time, however short-lived. It was exhausting having to keep up conversations with his friends when all he wanted to do was scream. They were only trying to help though, he knew that. Everyone was holding on by a thread, but he couldn't help but feel like he was taking it the hardest.

The R-Cycle roared out of the decoy dumpster as he spun into the alley, scraps of newspaper flying in his wake. As he turned onto the main street, he saw the other three Titans were not far behind him. The green pterodactyl gave a squawk of recognition and they sped up, catching up with him as they approached Wayne Enterprises. They stopped in front of the towering, glass building; red lights blinking in-sync on every level.

"Fan out," he ordered, removing his helmet. "Beast Boy, search the grounds," he directed, pointing at the now-bloodhound. "Raven, start from the bottom. Cyborg, hack into the system and check security footage; see if we can figure out who we're dealing with here. I'll start from the roof," he finished, shooting a grappling cable up toward the top of the building.

He was ripped from the ground, flying through the air after the cable as the group separated beneath him. As he grew level with the roof, he hit the button to retract the cable, tumbling onto the concrete surface. He landed in a crouch, scanning his surroundings.

Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, but he pulled out his flashlight and began searching anyway. He was checking behind the various air conditioning units when he saw a black figure dart past in his peripheral vision. He spun on the spot, pointing his flashlight after the shadow.

"Who's there?" he demanded, trying to sound as intimidating as possible.

He walked over toward where he had seen the figure, checking every possible hiding place along the way. His eyes narrowed as he reached the spot, spinning in a circle to pass the beam across the surrounding area. He was just about to write it off to a trick of the light when he saw the figure emerge from behind a column of pipes some distance in front of him, running toward the edge of the building.

"STOP!" he shouted, stowing his flashlight as he took off after the culprit.

The black figure did stop, turning briefly to look at him before shooting off even faster.

"HEY!" he called again, concerned as the person drew closer and closer to the edge, "Wait! STOP!"

The black figure leapt off the edge of the building, not hesitating at all, and glided effortlessly through the air. They came down with a somersault on the neighboring building, and Robin's mouth fell open. He could make that jump, sure, but he didn't think many other people could do it.

Putting on an extra burst of speed, he launched himself off the edge of Wayne Enterprises after the figure -who, for some reason, had stopped to watch as he jumped. He easily leapt the gap and sprang up upon landing, tackling the unsuspecting criminal to the ground. The thief hit their back hard on the concrete, Robin landing on top and pinning their hands down. The impact dislodged something from the person's hand that Robin had not previously noticed. It looked like the heat ray Bruce had mentioned he was working on, and Robin released one of the criminal's wrists to attempt to grab it.

He was suddenly thrown backward as the person beneath him planted their hands against his chest and pushed with a force Robin was not expecting. He pushed off the ground with one hand as he flew backward, twisting in the air and coming to rest in a forward-facing crouch. As he stood up to attack again, however, he was greeted by a red glow pointed straight at his chest.

The figure was standing only a few feet from him, heat ray in hand. The red light emanating from it illuminated their face, which was covered by a shiny, metal mask in which there were small, dark voids for the eyes and slits over the mouth.

He froze, staring into the eyes he couldn't see. His hands twitched as he contemplated trying to make a grab for something in his utility belt, but he knew he wouldn't have enough time. Their finger was already on the trigger.

Wordlessly and suddenly, the thief in front of him lowered the weapon and spun, taking off across the roof.

Thinking quickly, he grabbed one of his grappling cables and shot it out after them. It caught the fleeing figure around the torso, strapping their arms to their sides. Robin yanked back quickly, sending them flinging back toward him as he dove forward. As they collided, Robin ripped the heat ray from their hand as he tackled them to ground. In the light that was emanating from a nearby neon sign, Robin saw the mask slide out in front of the figure, grating against the roof as it went. He quickly jumped off their back and stood over them.

"Don't move," he cautioned, pointing the heat ray he now held at the back of the person's head.

The black-suited figure below him rolled over, long braid catching the red light as they turned, and he found himself looking straight into the face of-

"Starfire?" he breathed, staggering backward. The heat ray lowering slightly as he recoiled.

Her green eyes, shining with tears, bored into him, desperate and pleading. Even with the dirt from the fall on her face, he thought he could see a sizable bruise under one of her eyes. She had a small cut on the right side of her forehead, and a much larger one near the center of her bottom lip.

"W-What- How- Star-" he stuttered, his head spinning.

"Just do it!" she shrieked, her voice strangled and manic.

"What?" he hissed, his forehead wrinkling with even more confusion.

"SHOOT ME!" she raged, rising up on her knees as she wriggled against the cord.

He blinked rapidly, shaking his head as his mouth dropped open in horror.

"What? No, Star… What are you doing? What- What's going on?"

"DO IT!" she screamed, her eyes more akin to those of a cornered animal than the Starfire he knew. "SHOOT ME! JUST SHOOT ME!" She was sobbing hysterically, writhing and snarling against her binds.

Terrified, he knelt down beside her, his eyes beginning to burn. "Star…" he whispered sadly, lowering the heat ray to the ground.

"No, Robin, please," she whimpered, tears running down her face as she pleaded. "Shoot me. Just shoot me. Shoot me, Robin, please…" she faded off, muttering indiscernibly to herself as she rocked backed and forth.

"Stop," he insisted, his voice choked with emotion as he pulled a birdarang from his belt. "It's okay now, you're okay," he soothed as he cut away the cable.

She sucked in shaky breaths as he untangled her, murmuring and trembling all the while.

As he ripped the last strand of wire off of her, he cupped her face in his hands, gently guiding her gaze upward.

"Star? Star, look at me," he coerced, panicking as he scanned her face.

He brushed stray hairs back out of her eyes, grazing his fingers just below the cut on her forehead. He stroked down her cheek, noting the bruise under her eye and the barely-healed gash on her lip. The most terrifying thing of all though was her eyes. They were wide, staring at nothing, and full of terror. She did not seem to even realize he was there.

"Star? Star please?" he begged, his eyes welling up as he rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks.

She blinked a few times in quick succession, slowly turning up to look at him.

"Robin?" she breathed, her eyes sparkling.

A strangled hiss of relief escaped him as his thumb traversed down her jaw line, and he smiled faintly.

"It's me, Star," he whispered. "It's me. You're safe. You're-"

"NO!" she shouted, pulling away from him and covering her ears with her hands.

"Star!" he cried, taken aback.

"I will not!" she argued, and he realized this wasn't directed at him. "You cannot make me!"

Suddenly she gasped in pain, falling backwards onto the ground, her body twisting unnaturally as she screamed.

"STARFIRE!" he panicked, lunging over to her. He hovered over top of her writhing form, trying to get a hold of her. "Star, what's happening!? What- OW!"

He recoiled, looking down at the hand that had just been shocked. He glanced back up at Starfire, his eyes widening with comprehension.

"NO!" he exclaimed, leaning over her again. "STOP!" he begged whoever was listening, blinking back tears. "Just stop! Please, please stop!"

Starfire's seizing abruptly ceased, and she lay there with her eyes closed, twitching and gasping.

He choked on a sob for the first time in years, extending a trembling hand as he leaned over her.

"Star…" he panted, fingers shaking down her cheek.

Her eyelids fluttered open and she turned her head weakly to look at him. "Robin…" she whispered, a few tears sliding down to meet his fingers.

"Who- Who did this?" he asked faintly, grazing across her bruises.

She shook her head with a whimper. "I will not," she breathed, "I will not…"

"You won't what?" he pried desperately.

She looked up at him, her eyes fiery and determined.

"I will not harm you," she murmured, immediately breaking into a blood-curdling shriek as her body tensed again.

"STAR!" he sobbed, trying to hold her through the shocks that ran up his arms at every touch.

Suddenly, the pieces fell into place, and he grabbed her hand, biting his lip to keep from crying out himself.

"Star?" he beckoned, and her streaming eyes flicked up to him. "Do it," he ordered through gritted teeth.

She shook her head violently as she gasped, biting her lip hard, the gash bleeding afresh under her teeth.

"N-No, Robin," she stammered, obviously struggling to control the spasms. "I- I cannot-"

"Please," he begged, wrapping her hand up in both of his and pressing it to his chest, inhaling sharply as the shocks transferred across his torso. "I'll be fine," he assured.

She shook her head again, her eyes pressed closed in agony, tears coursing out the corners.

"St-Starfire?" he stammered with as much authority as he could manage.

She shook and cried with pain again, but did open her eyes. They widened as she looked up at him, and he realized there were tears running down his face too.

"That's an order," he whispered, feeling the streams on his cheeks merging under his chin.

She whimpered, sobbing up at him, her eyes sorrowful.

"Do it," he reiterated, nodding stiffly. "It's okay," he assured softly, pressing her hand harder to his chest.

"R-Robin-" she started, her hand clenching to a fist under his as she cried out again.

"I know," he anticipated, gripping her hand tightly, "I know…"

She gazed up at him a moment longer, her eyes saying everything, before her body trembled with one last, withering sob.

There was a flash of green, a jolt of pain, and then…nothing.


	13. Revelations

**_Author's Note: _**_Your Slade-hate is about to go through the roof. Just so ya know. This chapter is also kind of violent and horribly sad, so I'm looking forward to hearing what you guys think._

_Only one more chapter to go until our adventure is over! I'm going to start posting another Teen Titans fic (unrelated and opening after "Trouble In Tokyo") shortly after this one is done, so be on the lookout for that!_

_Last chapter will be up Friday!_

**_Songs: _**_"Strawberry Gashes" - Jack Off Jill (relevant from when Robin enters the cavern)_

* * *

**Chapter 13: Revelations**

"AAAAGH!" she bellowed, breaking the metal doors inward as she flew into the cavern.

She stopped in the air, hovering and panting as she looked furiously around.

"Where are you!?" she demanded, eyes blazing. "REVEAL YOURSELF!"

When no answer came, she raised her hands, screaming and firing at everything in sight.

Machines hissed and broke under her assault, toppling to the ground with a metallic crash. Dust rose from the cavern floor as she flew forward, blasting at the television screens. Once she reached them, she abandoned the starbolts and opted to use her hands, punching and ripping at the plastic and metal. Silver panels and colored wires flew around her as she kicked and clawed across the screens, her vision blurring as she went. She then realized she was crying in amongst the shrieks and gasps.

She cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor as the suit shocked her, the stone beneath her breaking with the impact.

"Enough!" came a stern voice somewhere above and to the left.

She looked toward the sound to see a tall shadow walking toward her, and her blood boiled with fury. Finding strength she did not know she had, she somehow managed to tremble to standing through the pain. She raised a quivering arm up in front of her, her hand igniting as she went.

The man merely chuckled as he passed into the green light; the glow casting eerie, stretched shadows up his mask.

"Impressive," he admired in a low hiss, "but futile."

He pressed another button on his arm, and she withered slightly as the pain intensified, but still she did not lower her hand.

"Y-You-" she stammered, her teeth gritted to keep from screaming.

"I didn't do that," he mocked, anticipating her sentiment. "You did."

"You m-made me," she contested, snarling as her hand shook violently.

"_I_ made you?" he queried, stepping toward her in spite of her raised starbolt. "My dear, _I_ had nothing to do with it. I was merely punishing my apprentice; I had no part in-"

"YOU FORCED ME!" she screamed, the pain momentarily suppressed. "YOU CAUSED ALL OF THIS!"

"Oh, really?" he challenged. "I forced you to lie to your friends? I forced you to run away? I forced you to steal? I forced you to shoot-"

"AAAGH!" she boomed furiously, firing at his chest.

Slade grunted as the bolt hit him, flying backward to land with a heavy thud several feet away.

At that exact moment, however, an agonizing pain overwhelmed her and she collapsed to the floor, her fingers boring into the dirt as her hands clenched. Within moments, her arms gave out and she fell onto the dirt, unable to even scream the pain was so excruciating. It slowly subsided, but she still could not do anything but lie there and wheeze.

"I told you," he snarled, and she heard his footsteps approaching, "I have an insurance policy."

He stuck a boot underneath her stomach and flipped her over roughly, her limbs flopping limply as she rolled. His foot landed hard on her chest and she winced, trying to focus on the dark, blurry face above her.

"Any hit I take," he explained, "you take harder."

"W-Why?" she whispered, her lips trembling.

"Why?" he patronized, removing his boot as he chuckled maliciously. "Well, so Robin can kill you, of course."

Her brain tried to make sense of this through the fog of pain. "R-Robin… What?"

"You see, my dear, this was never about you," he elaborated, his footsteps pacing around her. "It's about Robin. It's always been about Robin."

She blinked and shook her head, trying to clear it enough to understand.

"But-but you said… You said I had something. Something you needed," she murmured, rolling over onto her side to stare at his shoes.

"You did," he admitted, bending down in front of her so she could look into his dark, gleaming eyes. "You had Robin."

He snickered as he stood again, and she weakly propped herself up on an elbow, gasping at the pain such a simple movement caused.

"You're his weakness, his silver bullet," Slade railed triumphantly. "I needed you to break him."

"I- I do not-" she began, managing to rise to a sitting position, her hand pressed to the ground beside her for stabilization.

"Don't you see?" he snarled, rounding on her. "Every disappearance, every lie, every cut and bruise-"

"You-" she breathed, things finally beginning to snap into place, "You were…tormenting him."

Slade laughed loudly, the glee echoing around the chamber.

"I was _destroying_ him," he corrected, his hand clenching to a fist to emphasize the point. "He's holding on by a thread, teetering on a razor's edge." He turned to look at her. "Now, all that's left," he concluded with a hiss, "is the final push."

Her gaze dropped to the floor, her forehead wrinkling as she processed. She was shaken out of her thoughts by a hand dragging her roughly up off the floor.

"No!" she protested weakly, her legs half dragging behind her. She clawed fruitlessly at his hand around her arm, trying to pry his fingers loose as he pulled her down the hallway.

"What are you doing? Where are you-" she cut off as she was shoved through a door.

Slade pushed her forward, sending her toppling onto something hard and cold. Rising up off the floor, she realized she was in what appeared to be a glass box, the reinforced door slamming behind her as she turned toward it.

"Don't bother trying to escape," Slade headed off. "I've had this containment chamber specially designed for you. If you so much as touch the walls…well," he taunted, "let's just say it will be…unpleasant. Same goes for if you try to remove the suit."

"Why are you doing this?" she cried, her hands rising, and then falling again as she remembered his warning.

"Well, when I tell Robin I've killed you," he recited simply, "I can't have you bursting into the room. Now, can I?"

Her eyes widened in horror.

"Then, when he comes to avenge you," he elaborated, crossing his arms smugly, "he'll be killing you while trying to kill me. Poetic, isn't it?"

"Robin will not-" she insisted, but Slade cut her off.

"Oh, I think he will," he affirmed with a chuckle, and she gulped as she remembered the future she had seen.

Slade was correct. Robin would.

"Don't worry," he added, misinterpreting her silence, "I'll take it easy on him. After all," he said blithely, "I want him to win."

She felt herself pale, and he laughed riotously.

"And once he discovers the truth, once he realizes he's responsible for your death," he paused, leaning within inches of the glass, "I won't have to worry about him anymore."

"Do not harm him!" she raged, pounding at the clear walls. The entire box glowed blue with electricity and every cell in her body seemed to scream. She collapsed to the floor in a trembling heap, her vision blurring.

"My dear, I won't have to harm him," Slade continued gently, as if nothing had happened. "He'll be no threat to me after that. Do you really think there will be any fight left in him? Do you think he'll stand in my way?"

He crouched down to the floor so his eyes were level with her tearing ones.

"Your hero will fall," he asserted chillingly, "and the Titans will follow."

Tears slipped from her eyes as he stood, turning away from her to walk toward the door.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he confessed, stopping in the doorway to hit a button on the wall.

Television screens burst to life around the room, one on every wall. Each screen showed a different angle of the cavern, the piles of broken metal creating jagged shadows across the ground.

"Wouldn't want you to miss the show."

He walked through the metal door, his laughter melding with her screams as she pounded uselessly on the walls.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Robin_**

"Robin? Robin, man, wake up!"

He felt his body rattle as someone shook him by the shoulder, the motion bringing pain. He tried to open his eyes, but he could not find the strength.

"Is he…ya know…"

"Hey! Don't even think that, you got me?"

"I was just ask-"

"Guys, I can't heal him with all your fighting!"

"Raven…" Robin wheezed, prying his eyes open.

He felt the bed shake as someone collided with it, and he heard a sharp yelp.

"Dude, you're on my foot!"

"Sorry, BB," Cyborg muttered back, his red eye sticking out in the blur of lights and shadows Robin was trying to bring into focus.

He blinked a few times and his friends' faces had defined features. Defined features that all looked decidedly worried. He looked up at them for a few moments, his forehead crinkling with confusion at their expressions, before it all came back to him in a tidal wave of images.

"Starfire!" he croaked, sitting up in the bed frantically, his hands tugging at the blankets that restricted him. Hands landed on both of his shoulders, pushing him back down onto the sheets.

"Let me go!" he cried, writhing beneath the pressure. "We have to find her! We have to save her!"

"Robin, slow down," Raven implored, her voice calm but stern. "You're hurt. You need to-"

"There's no time!" he insisted, grabbing at their restraining hands. "He has her! We have to-"

"Robin," Cyborg interjected softly, "we found you on the roof. You'd been knocked out. Maybe you're-"

"I KNOW WHAT I SAW!" he growled, pushing them off gruffly.

He swung his legs off the bed but, when he moved to stand, he collapsed back onto the mattress, clutching at his chest with a gasp of pain. It was only then that he realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. He looked down to see the top half of his uniform missing; bare skin extending to the waistband of his pants. Automatically, he reached up to his face.

"We didn't peek," Beast Boy assured, reading his mind.

Robin nodded gratefully down at his lap, hesitant to move his head considering the dizziness. He focused on his breathing, trying to ease through the pain in chest. Surveying himself, he found the cause for his affliction. A large, circular bruise had blossomed on his chest; the purple petals perfectly centered between his pectorals. He grazed his fingers across it, his eyes burning with the memory.

"Robin," Raven whispered softly, kneeling in front of him so she could look into his mask, "what happened?"

He cringed as he thought about it, images he wanted to forget flashing across his mind. He could hear her voice, see her face. The bruises, the blood. And her eyes. Oh god, her eyes…

"Robin?" Raven pried, placing a hand on his shoulder, and he could tell she was empathically calming him just enough to allow him to focus.

"When I got up to the roof, I found…someone," he began, unable to look anyone in the eye.

"The guy with the silver mask?" Cyborg interjected, and Robin's breath stalled. "Yea, I saw them on the security footage. He was stealing some kind of ray gun, according to the records."

"It was a heat ray," Robin corrected, his heart pounding as he figured out how to continue. "And…it wasn't a guy."

"What do you mean?" Beast Boy interrupted, moving to stand beside Raven. "That was a _chick_?!"

"Not just a chick," he whispered. He didn't know how to say this. He didn't know how to tell them.

"It was… It was Starfire," he finished simply, opting for the straightforward approach. Ripping off a band-aid was supposed to be better, after all.

There was a collective gasp, and Cyborg's feet joined the group in front of him.

"Star?" the half-robot breathed, stunned. "But…how? Why?"

"I-I _fought_ her," Robin choked, burying his head in his hands. "I attacked her, I-I hurt her. I didn't know, I didn't-"

"Robin, this isn't your fault," Raven interrupted firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "What happened next?"

"I-I tackled her," he continued, Raven soothing him again, "and got the heat ray and I-I was…pointing it at her back and then…then…" his breath shook as he collected himself, "she turned around and- and she-"

"Oh god…" Raven breathed, and Robin looked up at her to find tears sparkling in her eyes. She was seeing it through him, he knew it.

"Raven…" he started, hesitant to ask her for something like this.

She nodded understandingly, and he buried his face back into his hands, relieved for the reprieve.

"She was…in bad shape," Raven explained for him, her voice low and careful.

"What do you mean?" Cyborg probed earnestly.

"She was…" Raven hesitated, and he felt her hand clench against his shoulder. "She was hurt. Badly," she faded off.

"What?" Beast Boy broke in, panicked. "How bad? Is she okay?"

"Robin?" Raven whimpered, and he placed a hand overtop of hers to signal he understood.

"She'd been attacked," he continued, hoping that, between him and Raven, they could get through this. "She was…cut up and- and bruised."

He swallowed hard, trying to ignore the horrified gasps from Beast Boy and Cyborg.

"She- She kept begging me to…to shoot her," he continued quickly, worrying that, if he stopped, he wouldn't be able to get started again. "She was shaking and- and screaming and it was like…it was like she didn't even _see_ me, like she didn't even know I was there."

He could feel Raven's hand trembling under his, and he tightened his grip on her. In response, he felt another wave of calm wash over him.

"Then she started yelling at…at someone, telling them she wasn't going to do it," he faded off. This was the part he'd been dreading.

"Something happened with her suit," Raven rescued him. "It started…hurting her…shocking her."

"I-I begged for them to stop," he bleated, raising his head. "And- And they did, but then she was yelling again, saying she wouldn't- that she wouldn't-"

"She said she wouldn't hurt him," Raven finished, her voice more a sob than words.

"And then it started again and- and she was screaming and I-I-" his head fell briefly as he sucked in a breath to stall the tears, "I couldn't let her…I-I couldn't..."

He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to even think it. But he had to. He couldn't make Raven see this, make her feel it. He couldn't put that burden on her.

"I-I told her it was okay," he choked, placing a hand over the bruise on his chest. "I-I told her to… I-"

"You told her to blast you," Cyborg interjected, his voice toneless.

"So they'd stop hurting her," Beast Boy finished softly.

Robin nodded mutely, feeling Beast Boy's hand come down on his other shoulder.

They stood there like that for what felt like an eternity, the silence in the room absolute.

Robin breathed heavily, taking a few moments to compose himself, to do what he was trained to do. Channeling the pain into anger, he leapt off the bed, leaving his friends' hands clutching air.

"Robin-"

"Slade!" he snarled, interrupting Raven's concern.

He spun around to look at them all, seeing three surprised faces staring back at him.

"He has her," he explained through gritted teeth, his hands curling into fists. "He has her and we have to-"

"Find him," Cyborg interjected, stepping forward.

"And stop him," Beast Boy added as him and Raven moved forward as well.

Robin scanned the three determined faces in front of him with a rush of gratefulness and pride. He nodded to express it before handing out assignments.

"Cyborg, check every camera around the building. See if you can pick up her trail."

Cyborg nodded and left the infirmary, placing a hand of solidarity on his shoulder for a moment as he passed.

"Raven, if you're up to it," he cautioned, "go to Wayne Enterprises and see if you can track her from there."

"I'll be fine," she assured, a large black raven appearing behind her.

"Wait!" he called before she teleported. "Take Beast Boy with you."

Beast Boy nodded and stepped toward Raven, squeezing her hand briefly in a gesture of comfort before they disappeared into a black void.

Robin turned and headed to the stairwell, climbing up to the bedroom level. His door slid open in front of him, and he headed to the closet to change into a new uniform before he would join Cyborg in the living room. He pulled the various layers over his head, wincing with every rise and fall of his arms.

He was just about to leave the room when the communicator on his belt beeped. He grabbed at it eagerly, hoping Raven or Beast Boy had already made progress.

"What did you-"

"Hello, Robin," Slade addressed with an audible sneer. "Looking for me?"

"Where is she?" he demanded, his hands immediately shaking with rage.

"Why don't you come see for yourself?" Slade baited.

"Just tell me where," Robin spat back, his eyes narrowing.

Slade chuckled softly. "I've already sent you the map," he obliged, and Robin saw the downloaded file appear in the corner of the screen.

"I'm on my way," Robin growled, and almost shut the communicator before Slade's voice stopped him.

"Oh, and Robin?"

Robin looked down to see Slade's face had moved closer to the screen.

"Let's finish this how we started, shall we? Just you and I," he challenged.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Robin accepted, slamming the communicator shut in his hand.

He stood up and walked back to the closet, making sure his utility belt was fully stocked before clipping the communicator to his belt and creeping out the door. Soundlessly, he slipped into the stairwell and ran down to the garage, climbing onto the R-Cycle and revving it up in one motion. He shot down the tunnel at what would be a dangerous speed for anyone else, but Robin wasn't concerned about that. The only thing occupying his mind was getting there as fast as possible. He wouldn't let anything else happen. He wouldn't let her down again.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Starfire awoke to find herself on the floor of the box. She was careful not to touch the sides as she rose to sitting, her entire body aching. She could not be sure how long she had been unconscious, but she was sure she wanted to avoid that happening again. She had tried pounding, kicking, eye beams, starbolts, and every combination, but it was no use. She was trapped in here. She hugged her knees to her chest, making herself as small as possible so as to avoid any potential accidents.

She did not cry. She simply did not see the point. It was an odd feeling for her, accepting the situation. She was going to die here. This room was going to be the last thing she ever saw. She would never see her friends again. Never talk to them. Never touch them.

Thoughts of her friends passed through her mind, and something awoke within her. A faint fire shone through the mounting resignation, and she lifted her head. She could not give up. She could not. There was always hope. There was always a solution. Robin had taught her that.

"SLADE!?"

Starfire shot to standing as the familiar voice echoed around her.

"Robin?" she breathed, scanning the room.

A flicker of movement on one of the screens caught her eye, and she saw a spiky-haired figure entering the cavern.

"ROBIN!" she screamed at the screen, nearly forgetting herself as she approached the glass. She stopped just short, her eyes wide with horror. "Robin, you must get out! Robin!? ROBIN!?"

He continued to walk, and Starfire realized that he could not hear her. Of course Slade would have considered that in his building of this room.

"COME OUT, YOU COWARD!" Robin called again, fury in his voice.

"I'm not hiding, Robin," she heard Slade taunt.

Scanning the screens again, she watched as Slade appeared out of the shadows behind Robin. She opened her mouth to warn him, however useless she knew it was, but Robin whipped around ahead of her.

"Where is she?" he snarled, charging toward Slade, unfurling his bo-staff as he went.

Starfire winced, anticipating the pain, but she was momentarily spared as Robin held the end of the staff just beneath Slade's chin.

Slade jerked his head to the left, wordlessly directing Robin further into the cavern.

Robin moved the staff slightly closer to Slade's face before twisting away from him and bounding forward.

"STARFIRE!?" he called.

"Robin…" she whimpered in response, shifting to another side of the box as Robin traversed screens.

She watched as he stopped in the middle of the large, open area, kneeling down to the ground. Squinting at the screen, she saw him lift something off the floor. With a gasp, she realized it was her breastplate, the one she had stored away in her backpack. Slade must have removed it and planted it there for Robin to find.

"I'm afraid," Slade hissed as he approached, "she outlived her usefulness."

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HER!?" Robin bellowed, spinning to standing on the spot and brandishing her breastplate in the air.

"Robin!" she warned, her hands folding across her chest protectively.

"Me?" Slade mocked, touching a hand to his sternum sarcastically. "Why, Robin? What would make you think I-"

Starfire shrieked as Robin's foot collided with Slade's chest. She began to topple forward before quickly redirecting to avoid the wall. She came down hard on her side, panting as the pain subsided.

"WHERE IS SHE!?" Robin raged, his staff pointing down at where Slade was kneeling on the floor.

Slade merely laughed, lifting his head to look at him.

"ROB- AAAAAH!" Starfire screamed again, her hand outstretched toward the screen as Robin struck Slade in the side. She rolled onto her back as the shocks continued, hearing Slade's grunts coinciding with her cries.

"Robin…" she whimpered, her vision blurred as she twisted to see the screen, "Robin, please." Her eyes filled with tears as she watched him following after where Slade had flown.

"I'll ask you again," Robin spat down at him, "Where is she!?"

He kicked Slade in the stomach, and her cry melded with a sob as she collapsed onto the floor on her stomach.

"Robin, please," she sobbed, "don't…"

"Do you really want to know, Robin?" Slade probed malevolently. "Do you want to know how she screamed? How she begged?"

"SHUT UP!" Robin bellowed, pointing threateningly down at the man. "JUST SHUT UP!"

"Robin…Robin, no," she whispered, tears pooling on the floor beneath her barely-raised head.

"How she told me over and over again that you were coming, that you would save her?" Slade continued, his voice rising to a yell.

"NO!" Robin screamed, backing away from the man who was now rising to his feet. "You're lying! YOU'RE LYING!"

"Do you want to know what the best part was?" Slade taunted, creeping toward him.

"Robin!" she pleaded, rising up onto her elbows as she watched the trembling boy.

"Those last few moments, when she realized you weren't coming," Slade continued in a snarl, "I got to watch the hope leave her eyes."

"NOOOOO!" she screamed as Robin dove for him.

He tackled Slade to the ground, landing on top of him and immediately beginning to pummel his torso. His shouts were drowned out by her own screams as she curled into a ball on the floor, her throat burning.

She was going to die here.

She was going to die.

Her life flashed before her eyes, flickering images blending into colorful blurs. Her parents smiling. Her sister laughing. Riding the wheel of ferris with Robin. Watching the movies with Beast Boy. Wrestling arms with Cyborg. Meditating with Raven.

An idea occurred to her; a last glimmer of hope in the impending darkness. She tried to focus her thoughts through the searing pain, blending her gasps into deep breaths as best she could.

_"Raven?"_ she thought, trying to keep herself conscious.

_"Starfire?!"_ she heard her friend's voice in her head, feeling her concern as if it were her own. _"Oh my- I'm coming! I'll get you-"_

_"No, Raven,"_ she interrupted, thinking through the words as quickly as she could. _"You must get Robin. You must remove him from this place."_

She thought through the events in her mind, trying to replay every relevant detail.

_"Oh god…" _Raven said, and Starfire felt her panic and pity. _"I'll get him. I'll get him, Star."_

_ "Raven…"_ The room around her was swirling, her writhing diminished to faint quivers. _"Tell Robin…tell him…"_

_"No! Star!? Stay with me, Star! STAY WITH ME!"_

She rolled onto her back, letting her body go limp as the darkness drowned Raven's voice.


	14. Truly Over

_**Author's Note:**__ Well, this is the end guys! I have truly enjoyed sharing this and getting to know some of you (both here and on Tumblr), and I hope you will all tune in for my next story, which will begin posting this coming Wednesday (Oct 3rd). It opens after "Trouble In Tokyo", but as if the kiss never happened and all the RobStar was left with their conversation on Tokyo Tower. That one is gonna have some sequels, so it should be quite a fun, extensive, RobStar/BBRae ride!_

_**Songs:**__ "Burn" - Alkaline Trio (relevant once it goes to Starfire's perspective)_  
_"Heroes" - The Wallflowers (relevant from when Starfire wakes up back home -just a fun song to carry you out of the fic_)

* * *

**Chapter 14: Truly Over**

Robin tumbled out of the inky, cold dark and onto what he immediately recognized as the living room carpet.

"Raven!?" he shouted, standing up so he could project right in her face. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"Robin-" she implored, but he wasn't in the mood to listen.

"SEND ME BACK!" he bellowed, grabbing her by the arm.

"Robin, you have to listen to me-"

"NO!" he shrieked, throwing her arm aside so he could jab his finger into her face. "HE HAS TO PAY! HE HAS TO PAY FOR WHAT HE DID!"

"SHE'S NOT DEAD!" Raven screamed at him, a light popping somewhere in the room as a result.

Robin's arm fell limply to his side and he blinked, stunned.

"She…She what?" he whispered haltingly, his mind reeling.

"It was all a lie," Raven explained gently, creeping closer to him cautiously. "All a part of Slade's plan to destroy you, to destroy us."

"I- I don't-" he stammered, his hand rising to his forehead as he thought himself into a headache.

"Here," Raven offered her hand out to him, "this'll be easier." She paused, looking up at him uncertainly. "If you're okay with it."

Robin looked between her face and her hand skeptically. He needed to know, and he understood time was of the essence, but just how much would Raven see when she was inside his head? Throwing caution, and possibly all of his secrets, to the wind, he reached out and grabbed her hand.

It must have only been an instant, but it felt like an eternity that he stood there, watching the entire ordeal play out in his mind. He saw through Starfire's eyes as Slade blackmailed her, as he threatened her and beat her. Guilt broke across his heart as he saw his own face shouting at her. He watched her steal, watched her fight him, and watched through her tearful eyes as she cradled his limp body on the rooftop. He heard Slade's master plan unveiled, saw the room she was contained in, saw himself on the television screens falling right into the trap. _"Tell Robin…tell him…"_ he heard in Starfire's voice before everything twisted to black.

When he could see again, he realized he was on all-fours in the living room, gasping for breath. He clutched his head in his hands, trying to process the months of memories he felt were now his own.

"Robin…" Raven ventured delicately, kneeling to the ground in front of him.

"I-I could have-" he stammered, his voice strangled, "I almost-"

"You didn't," Raven interjected, a firm hand on his shoulder.

He shook his head, her soothing doing nothing for his guilt.

"Robin," she said sternly, shaking him slightly so he lifted his head to look at her, "what's done is done." Her eyes bored into his, her determination infectious. "Now what are you going to do about it?"

He looked up at her for a few more moments before rising to his feet, his hands clenching into fists.

"Where are Beast Boy and Cyborg?" he inquired, noticing the room was empty except for the two of them.

"Out looking for you," she answered expediently.

"Get them back here," he ordered, heading toward the stairwell door. "Have Cyborg meet me in the infirmary when he gets here. We gotta get those nanobots out."

Raven nodded, pulling her communicator from under her cape.

"And, Raven?" he added, his hand sitting on the metal handle. "When she wakes up-"

"I will," she assured, nodding resolutely.

He turned away and rushed down the stairs to the infirmary. He immediately went over to a metal cabinet against the wall and pulled out a needle kit and a rubber strap. Ripping the wrapping with his teeth, he affixed the included plastic container to the back of the needle and settled himself in a chair. He set the needle on the small, metal table next to him as he rolled up his sleeve and wrapped the tourniquet around his bicep. With a single, calming breath he slipped the needle into the vein in the crook of his left arm, holding it in with his thumb as the blood slowly rose up the container.

"Robin!"

The door slid open, revealing Cyborg towering in the doorway. His eyes widened for a brief moment as they alighted on his friend, but he quickly regained his composure.

"That was quick," Robin acknowledged curtly.

"We were on our way back anyway," Cyborg explained, handing him an alcohol swab and a ball of cotton as the vial filled. "BB's up with Raven working on a plan of attack."

Robin nodded, removing the needle and handing Cyborg the container of blood before unwrapping the alcohol swab. He dabbed the puncture briefly before rolling down his sleeve again and rising out of the chair.

"Uh, you're supposed to put the cotton on that, ya know?" Cyborg chided hesitantly.

Robin glared at him.

"Or not, whatever," Cyborg added, shrugging as he swabbed some of Robin's blood onto a slide.

Robin moved over to stand beside him as he sat down in the chair in front of the microscope. He folded his arms and tapped his foot against the tile floor as Cyborg twisted the dial back-and-forth, making thoughtful noises.

"Well?" he snapped. Patience was not his strong suit.

Cyborg turned toward him with a sigh. "They're there all right," he confirmed, rising from the chair and waving for Robin to take a look.

He leaned over the microscope, closing his left eye as he peered into the lens. Sure enough, there were small, metal contraptions floating around in the sample, their robotic legs swimming through the red. Bile rose in his throat at the sight, and he recoiled from the table.

"How do we get them out?" he asked, sounding much more stable than he felt.

"I don't think we have that kind of time," Cyborg answered from the opposite side of the room, where he was clicking away on one of the computers.

"Well, we have to do something!" Robin snarled, stomping over to him. "We can't go in there with these things still inside us! We'll be dead for-"

"I didn't say there was nothing we could do," Cyborg interrupted. "I said we couldn't get them out."

Robin grumbled, really not in the mood to have to ask a thousand questions to get a simple frikkin answer.

"What _can _we do then?" Robin strained.

"I think, if I find the right frequency," Cyborg began thoughtfully, his fingers working furiously on the keyboard, "I should be able to fry 'em."

"Fry them?" Robin repeated, alarmed. "But won't that…hurt?"

He was all for disabling the nanobots, but using words like 'fry' to refer to things inside his body? Not so appealing.

"It might," Cyborg answered matter-of-factly, turning around in his chair, "but does that really matter?"

Robin didn't even need to think about it. "No."

Cyborg nodded and turned back to the screen.

"How long?" Robin probed.

"An hour, tops."

Robin nodded, walking back over the door.

"I'm gonna go up and check in with the others."

Cyborg grunted in acknowledgement, never turning away from the screen.

As Robin opened the door to the living room, he saw Raven running toward it.

"I was just going to get you," she panted, her eyes frantic.

Robin's eyes widened in understanding and he rushed into the room.

"Is she okay?" he asked fervently, his voice betraying the guilt that clenched in his chest.

Raven nodded, closing her eyes and breathing deeply.

Robin tried to stay as quiet as possible, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Star?" Raven whispered, her eyes remaining closed. "We're gonna get you out of there, okay? We're coming."

"Cyborg figured out a way to disable the nanobots," Robin added quietly. "It should be ready in under an hour."

Raven nodded. "Did you hear that, Star? It's gonna be fine. Everything's gonna be fine."

She began shaking her head, her forehead wrinkling angrily, and Robin's breath seized with fear.

"What?" he panted, unable to restrain himself. "What's happening?"

"She doesn't want us to come," Raven explained solemnly. "It's too dangerous. It's too late."

Robin shook his head adamantly. "No," he growled, "we're coming."

"Star, what is it?" Raven pressed frantically, her face worried.

She gasped, her eyebrows rising with fear. "He's there," she revealed for his benefit, and his heart stopped.

"No," Raven snarled, "I'm not leaving."

Robin's eyebrows furrowed as he listened, wishing he could hear both sides of this conversation.

"I don't care, Star," she pressed. "I'm not leaving you."

Suddenly, Raven crumpled in pain, her eyes scrunching closed as she gasped.

Robin caught her as she fell forward, holding her up as she panted.

"Raven!" he cried, "Are you okay?"

"Not…me…" she wheezed, clutching her stomach, and Robin gasped with comprehension.

Raven wasn't the one being hurt. Starfire was.

Raven shrieked again and fell to her knees, Robin following after her.

"No!" she gasped stubbornly, "I can help!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than she flung her head backward, sucking in air wildly as her eyes flew open.

"Raven!" he shouted, terrified.

She quickly returned to normal, aside from the sad look in her watering eyes.

"She kicked me out," she breathed, shaking her head sorrowfully. "She…She wouldn't let me…" she trailed off, dropping her gaze.

"We'll bring her back," he reassured, hugging her tightly. "We'll bring her back…" he repeated faintly, this time mostly to himself.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Starfire lay on the floor of her box, crying up at the ceiling. Every muscle in her body ached, every nerve was on fire. Slade had left several minutes ago after failing to torture the reason for Robin's abrupt exit out of her, but the pain still lingered. She was not even breathing as deeply as she would have liked because the rising and falling of her chest made her wince.

She knew she should feel guilt for treating Raven in such a manner, but she simply could not let her friend remain in her head while she was in such pain. She knew how Raven's powers worked and, even if her friend wanted to take some of that pain herself, she simply could not let her. This was not Raven's burden.

She rolled onto her side, scanning the television screens.

Slade had not moved since the last time she had checked. He was still leaning against the back wall of the cavern, waiting in the shadows and watching the door. She would not have been able to find him if she had not watched him walk there initially.

She flopped back down onto her back with a combination of a sigh and a grunt. It was only a matter of time before her friends came for her. Part of her hoped Slade killed her before that. Then there would be no reason for them to put themselves in any danger.

"SLADE!"

She jolted to sitting, swooning from the sudden transmission of blood.

"Robin!" she gasped, twisting around the find him on the screens.

He walked into the cavern, his shadow stretching across the floor to where Slade was slinking out from his hiding spot.

"Robin," he greeted, "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

"Let's just finish this," Robin snarled, reaching for his utility belt.

"NO!" she screamed as she watched a disk flying toward Slade.

"Starfire!"

She froze at the voice, uncertain if she was really hearing it.

"Raven?"

"Over here."

She turned to find her friend standing behind her, actually inside the room.

"RAVEN!" she cried, rushing over to peer at her, getting as close to the wall as she could without touching it.

"The guys are distracting Slade," she explained, creating a portal in the cell so Starfire could walk through.

She glanced over to the screens as she passed through to see Cyborg and Beast Boy had joined Robin, all three of them taking care to not actually make contact with Slade as they fought.

"Now, come on, we have to go," Raven exhorted, grabbing her arm.

"No, Raven," she said firmly, pulling away.

"Starfire," the violet-eyed girl insisted, "we don't have time for this! Come on!"

"I will not run away, Raven." She pushed past her friend and headed toward the door. "Not anymore."

She flung the metal door open so hard, it ripped from its hinges as she flew through the crumbling opening. She heard Raven snarl something rather foul as she shot down the hallway, rising up high in the cavern as soon as the space opened up before her. Scanning the room, it did not take her long to locate the epicenter of activity. Directly across from her, on the opposite wall, there was a lightshow of sorts; blue, white, and yellow dancing across the stone as the accompanying explosions rattled the cave, sending small pebbles raining to the ground.

She flew forward to get a better look, taking cover behind one of the machines that was still standing as she neared the scene. She did not necessarily want Slade to know she was free yet. She was uncertain as to how he would react, and she did not want to put her friends in any more danger than they already were.

She watched as Robin punched at Slade, opening his jabs up to be blocked at the last second. She knew Robin would never be so careless if he were fighting sincerely, and her heart warmed at his concern. Of course, it did put him in a rather vulnerable position.

"AH!" he yelped as Slade's foot collided with his chest, sending him tumbling backward. He came to rest on all-fours, his hand clutching at his sternum, and she realized that was probably exactly where she had injured him.

"You're out of practice, Robin," Slade taunted, walking down to meet him, throwing Beast Boy off to the side as he went. "Gotten lazy, have you?"

Cyborg came running up toward him, his sonic cannon at the ready. "I'll show you la-"

"No!" Robin reprimanded, putting an arm out to stop his charging friend.

Slade staggered backward slightly, staring down at the boy before quickly regaining his composure and chuckling. "Of course," he sighed, "I should have guessed. It was just a little too easy."

Robin stood up, his fists clenched, and Starfire held her breath.

"No matter," Slade dismissed, lifting his arm and hitting a button on the panel.

Starfire gasped, and was just about to fly from her hiding place to Robin's assistance, when he abruptly broke out into a mocking laugh.

"Nice try, Slade," he snickered, "but you'll have to do better than that."

"Oh, don't worry, Robin," Slade snapped back, "I will," and he hit another button.

She tumbled out from behind her hiding spot with a shriek of pain, falling through the air head over heels.

"STARFIRE!"

She felt something collide with her side and she was swept to the left, a feeling of familiarity dimly flickering through as the pain subsided.

"Star?!" Robin's voice came from somewhere above, and she opened her eyes to see his blurry face hovering over her.

"Robin…" she acknowledged faintly, blinking her vision clear. They were on the ground now, hiding in the shadows between machines.

She seized as the shocks came again, biting her lip hard, knowing she should be quiet or they would be found.

"Here," Robin hissed, sliding his hand into hers, and she squeezed as hard as she dared until it subsided.

"It's okay. It'll be okay," he reassured, "We'll get you out of here."

"You can't hide forever!" Slade bellowed, his voice impossible to locate as it echoed around the cavern.

She winced again, burrowing into Robin's chest to muffle the gasps. She was sure she must be hurting him, he must be able to feel it to some degree too, but he did not relinquish his hold.

She could hear Slade's heavy footsteps, but nothing else. Her friends were assumedly hiding, not wanting to engage Slade as long as they did not know her condition.

"You can't fight it forever," Slade snarled, his voice sounding closer, but it was nearly impossible to tell.

She trembled, fingers digging into Robin's bicep as she began to cry, unable to decipher his various mumblings that were likely designed to soothe.

"You'll break eventually. And, even if you don't…I don't need to find you to finish this."

She whimpered into Robin's chest, tears coursing down her face, and she felt his hand against the back of her head.

"Star, we gotta move," he whispered urgently, wrapping his other arm around her waist as he shifted on the floor. "We have to get out of here."

"Robin," she panted during a lull in the shocks, "where are we to go?"

He was silent, but his arm wrapped around her tighter.

"Even if we escape this place," she continued quickly, not knowing how long she had to say this, "I would not make it home."

"No!" he snapped, his hand pressing into the back of her neck as he clutched her to him, "Don't say that! We'll get you home. We'll get this suit off."

"It cannot be removed," she informed him, shaking her head against the red fabric of his suit. "Not without…" she trailed off, and the gulp she could feel in Robin's chest told her he understood.

"Then we'll beat him," he snarled.

"How?" she asked breathlessly. "You cannot even touch him."

Once again, Robin was silent.

"Although…" she hesitated, a thought forming in her mind, "I believe…I believe I could."

She twisted in his arms to look up at him. "I can defeat him. If I do it quickly, if I do it all at once-"

"No," Robin disagreed sternly, his face contorted with fearful anger, "it's too dangerous. You could-"

"Robin," she whispered sadly, "that will happen either way."

"Don't say that!" he hissed down at her. "You're going to be fine."

"Robin," she started firmly, sitting up to look him directly in the eye, "it is the only way."

He shook his head violently. "No, you can't. I won't let you."

"Robin," she whispered with a small, sad smile, "you must trust me."

His lip trembled, and she knew he was remembering their conversation in the alternate dimension just as she was.

"This is different," he snapped.

"How?"

"Because it's you!"

"Robin," she sighed, raising a hand to his cheek, and he covered it with his own.

She smiled at him softly, hoping he would understand what she knew she had to do.

"I am sorry," she whispered, and her fingers slid off his cheek as she flew over him.

She heard a muffled hiss she assumed was Robin scolding her, but she did not turn.

Rising up above the machines, she scanned the cavern floor. Out of the shadows to her left, a red beam came rocketing toward her, and she screamed as it hit her hard in the side. She fell to the ground some distance to her right, jumping up to standing as quickly as she could.

"Well, well," the familiar voice said as the owner slipped out of the shadows and walked toward her. "And here I thought you were going to let your friends fight your battles."

She snarled, lifting a hand and enveloping it in green. "Their help will not be necessary."

Slade laughed heartily, throwing his head back to the ceiling. Without a word, he snapped his head back down at pushed at his arm.

She shrieked, collapsing to the ground on her knees and hands.

"You think you can defeat me?!" he growled at her, hitting another button.

Somehow, though she would not have thought it imaginable, the pain intensified and she fell flat onto her stomach. Her throat was burning as she screamed, stopping only to gasp for breath.

"You think you can save your pitiful little friends?! You can't even save yourself!"

Her vision blurred, and she blinked furiously, trying to clear it as the man approached.

"You're pathetic!" he mocked, and she yelped as his foot collided with her jaw.

The blood was warm and metallic in her mouth, splattering the dirt as she spit.

"You're worthless!" he snarled again, and she took another hard kick in the ribs, the crack audible.

She breathed heavily, feeling her consciousness slipping away.

She could not die. Not now. Not this way. There were so many things she needed to do, needed to say.

"You're nothing!" Slade added with an audible sneer, "I _own_ you!"

Something in Starfire snapped at that phrase. She was not a possession. Not anymore. And never again.

She felt her eyes flashing green as she channeled all the energy she had into her hands.

"You do not OWN ME!" she bellowed, flying up off the floor.

She struck the man in the center of his chest, sending him soaring through the air to land several feet away. The electricity coursed through her, but she shot forward in spite of it. Starbolts rained down over Slade, who was doing his best to dodge them.

She lifted her hands above her head, combining the energies into one, massive, green ball. With a cry, she thrust her hands forward, the ball of energy surging toward the fleeing figure.

It hit him in the back, sending him crashing forward into the wall. At that impact, however, she felt no pain.

She flew over to hover above the man, surveying the damage.

Slade was lying in amongst chunks of the wall, nearly unrecognizable as the threatening man she was accustomed to. The entire front of his suit was crushed and crumbling off of him in pieces. The mask was splintering away, revealing a man's disfigured face. There were also various cuts across his body, blood gently ebbing out.

She lowered herself to the floor, the exhaustion and pain breaking through the adrenaline. Sinking to her knees, she braced herself on her palms so as not to fall completely to the floor. The world was spinning, and she thought she heard distant voices.

Suddenly, the rubble in front of her moved and a ripped, bleeding arm reached out toward her. She gasped, catching sight of a horrible, twisted face before the image was ripped away.

Slade wriggled against the ground, a metal cord wrapped around him tightly.

"STARFIRE!"

She heard footsteps approaching before a figure slid to the ground in front of her.

"Starfire?" Robin pleaded earnestly, setting a hand on her shoulder.

She lifted her eyes to meet his, feeling tears welling up in her eyes.

"Robin…" she sighed, her tired, aching body beginning to fail her.

"It's okay, Star," he insisted, a hand cupping her chin. "You're safe."

She smiled ever-so-slightly, her eyes drooping.

"I know," she whispered, allowing herself to collapse into Robin, the darkness swiftly following.

…

When she awoke, the room was silent. Sunlight was filtering in through the windows, illuminating her room around her. She looked down to see a heavy, pink blanket covering her, and she shifted slightly. Surprisingly, it did not hurt nearly as bad as she had assumed it would. Raven had probably healed a lot of her more serious injuries, but she could still feel bandages on her face and arms. She tentatively raised herself up on her elbows, her eyes taking in the gloriously familiar sight of home. Home and Robin.

He was sitting in a chair beside her bed, his body slumped. His head was hanging limply and his breathing was slow and deep.

She smiled gently at him, her heart warmed at the sight. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep. He was not yelling orders or worrying or conducting the research or doing the working out or-

He jolted awake with a gasp and she yelped, scrambling backward in such a panic that she fell off the opposite side of the bed.

"Star!" he blurted, kneeling down beside where she lay flat on her back. "Are you okay?"

She looked up at him, stunned for a moment, and then burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Uh…" he mumbled, his eyebrows rising, "did you…hit your head?"

She shook her head, drifting into giggles.

"No," she sighed, gazing up at him, "I am merely happy."

He broke into a rare grin. "Well, that's a welcome change," he murmured back.

She smiled up at him a few more moments before the weight of what had occurred settled on her chest.

"Robin?" she began thoughtfully.

His forehead furrowed with concern. "Yea?"

She bit her lip in trepidation.

"Is it truly over?" she muttered, her eyes searching his face.

He smiled down at her, stroking a stray hair off her face.

"Yes, Star," he affirmed, "it is."

"Well, look who's awake!"

She turned to see Cyborg coming through the doorway; Raven and Beast Boy close behind.

"Yea, we thought we heard flirting in here," Beast Boy added, waggling his eyebrows.

Raven rolled her eyes, failing to completely suppress the smile that lifted the corners of her lips slightly.

Robin -in a completely uncharacteristic move- simply chuckled, causing Cyborg and Beast Boy's eyes to widen. Raven, however, smiled softly.

Robin stood up beside her, and she took his offered hand as he helped her to standing.

"How are you feeling?" Raven asked as the group came together.

"I am a little the sore," she explained, laying a hand on her ribcage, "but otherwise much improved."

"Good," Raven said with a small nod. "I healed the internal damage, but you'll still have a bruise for awhile."

"I am sure you did all you could, Raven," she affirmed with a smile.

Raven gave her a strange, sad smile before leaning across the group and wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

She hugged her back, more gently than she usually would due to her condition, before allowing the girl to pull away.

"So," Starfire started, unable to contain this question any longer, "what became of…" She faded off, not wanting to say the name.

"He's in a maximum security prison," Robin growled, shifting closer to her protectively, "where he'll stay for a long, _long_ time."

"Yea, which one did you bring him to, anyway?" Cyborg asked. "You just said you'd take care of it and then never told us where ya put him."

"Oh, it's not around here," Robin dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"Where is it?" Beast Boy pried.

The arm that was resting against Starfire's back tensed.

"Out east," he elaborated curtly.

"You didn't like toss him in the Hudson or something, did you?" Cyborg jested.

Robin chuckled lightly, but did not respond.

"You… You didn't…did you?" Beast Boy probed.

"Anybody up for pizza?" Robin evaded, grabbing Starfire's hand and pulling her through the group.

She giggled at her friends' worried expressions as they passed; flashing them a quick wave as Robin dragged her out the door.


End file.
